The First Step On A Long Road
by FlamelsCross98
Summary: When Lux Elric finds two boys in trouble in the woods and saves them they come to depend on each other. With similar pasts and linked futures the trio must rely on themselves and some very unlikely allies if they wish to save their world from the threat.
1. The Start

**By SuperSpecialAwesome**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, never have and don't plan to in the near future.<strong>

**Rated T for colourful language (mostly from Ed)**

**Summary: When Lux Elric finds two boys in trouble in the woods and saves them they come to depend on each other. With similar pasts and linked futures the trio must rely on themselves and some very unlikely allies if they wish to save their world from the threat of the Seven Sins. But with the military trying to recruit the young alchemists will they be able to stop the Sins, stay free of being dogs of the military and look after themselves without everything blowing up in their faces? R&R please!**

**((A/N Ed and Al change their surname to Elric later in the story))**

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><p><span>Chapter One – The Start<span>

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><p>As the golden sunlight filtered through a gap in her bedroom curtains, fifteen-year-old Lux Elric opened her light hazel eyes. She sat up and looked at the clock, stretching her aching limbs.<p>

"Shit! I'm late!" She exclaimed, leaping out of bed she rushed to get ready.

Running down the stairs she tied a blue silk ribbon into a bow in her waist length light brown hair, the shoulder length bangs that framed her pale face swaying as she went.

Lux decided to skip breakfast for two reasons. One, she was running really late and didn't have time, and two, it wasn't like anyone would tell her off for not eating some. She stopped in front of the full body mirror in her hallway to straighten her school uniform; a white blouse, sailor suit styled tie, short navy blue pleated skirt, knee length white socks and black shoes with a slight heel and, of course, her own personal touch: a blue silk ribbon choker with a silver disk on it, engraved on the disk was a transmutation circle.

Satisfied everything was in place, she grabbed her school bag and left the house, locking the door behind her. She decided to take the short cut through the woods.

As she walked she looked at the sky, smiling. Walking through the woods always helped calm her; she supposed it was from the amount of time she had spent here the day her mother died. Lux looked down, the memory threatening to overpower her.

A shout, full of lots of cursing, from ahead snapped Lux's head up.

She raced towards the sound, the voice didn't sound like it belonged to an adult or even a teenager. She reached a clearing in no time, what she saw shocked her.

Two small boys, similar in appearance, were being surrounded by a group of teenage boys, most of which had some sort of weapon, whether it was a branch or a metal pole.

The younger of the two boys was cowering behind the other; the latter appeared to be stood in a ready position as if he was going to fight the entire gang all by himself. Lux couldn't help but smile at the young boy's determination.

One of the gang lunged forward his make shift weapon, a tree branch, raised high above his head. Lux's eyes narrowed, no one attacked children on her watch.

Quickly she clapped her hands together then touched them to a nearby tree. Blue lightning flashed around the clearing, emanating from Lux's hands. Tree roots shot out of the ground lifting the thugs off their feet.

A smirk appeared on her face as the gang shouted in protest.

"Next time you want to pick a fight, pick on someone your own size. Not two little children." She said, walking forward to stand a little away from the two boys facing the gang.

The gang took this as a cue to leave, leaving their weapons behind.

"HEY! WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO LITTLE EVEN AN TINNIE ANT IS THREE TIMES HIS SIZE!" the older of the boys said, stamping his feet.

The other facepalmed, "Brother no one said that…" he muttered.

Lux turned to face the shouting boy, raising an eyebrow. He was the one that had been swearing before. Her eyes took in his appearance.

He was a short boy, roughly 5 years old, with bright blond hair, most of which was short apart from the bangs that framed his face with one bit that stood up at the front of his head and between his bangs. His eyes were a golden colour and shined with a fiery determination.

Her eyes then travelled to the other boy. He was roughly the same height as the other but looked younger, maybe about 4 years old, he had dirty blond hair; one side of his bangs was longer than the other and would have framed his face if they were longer, and he had silver eyes full of kindness.

Lux smiled the younger smiled back but his brother looked away.

"Thank you for saving us, miss…um…" the dirty blond said.

"Elric…Lux Elric." She said, stepping forward and offering the boy her hand. He shook it.

"I'm Alphonse, but most people call me Al. This is my brother Edward." Al said, glancing at his brother.

Edward huffed in response, folding his arms over his chest. "I coulda taken them; I don't need some girl saving me." He grumbled, kicking a stone.

Lux raised an eyebrow.

"From where I was standing, Edward, it looked like you could have done with the help." Ed let out an hmph sound and turned his back to her.

Al's eyes filled with sadness, he obviously didn't like the way his brother was acting.

"So tell me, Al, what are you two kids doing in the woods without an adult?" Lux asked.

Al looked at his brother, biting his lip. Edward turned to face Lux, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Why do you care?" He all but shouted.

"I care because it's dangerous for two children your ages to be out in the woods on their own. That gang is just one reason out of many why it's dangerous." She replied calmly despite the boy's tone.

"You don't even know are ages! You don't know us! So why do you care!" Edward shouted, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

Lux could tell easily he wasn't one to trust easily.

"I may not know your ages but I know you two are just children. Also as for why I care let's just say it's because I don't want to see anyone get hurt, this world is already full of enough suffering without two kids getting hurt to top the list." Lux said, still using a calm tone.

At first Edward seemed at a loss for words, and then he looked down. His golden bangs hiding his face from view. Lux could only just hear the words he muttered.

"I know this world is full of suffering… I know that all too well…"

Lux knelt down so she was closer to their height. Gently she wrapped her arms around the brothers and pulled them into a hug. Al immediately hugged back; Edward on the other hand hesitated before wrapping his arms around her.

They stayed that way for a few minutes, with Lux knelt on the forest floor embracing the two young brothers. Slowly she released them and stood up.

She smiled warmly down at them, "I have to get to school, why don't you two come too. That way I can get the nurse to give you a check over to make sure you aren't hurt."

"We aren't hurt though." Edward said immediately, folding his arms over his chest.

"I still want you two to come with me; I'm not leaving you in the woods on your own." Lux said, folding her own arms.

Al looked between the two people and sighed. He could tell neither was going to give anytime soon.

"Brother, maybe we should go." He said, trying to get past this stalemate.

Edward looked at his brother. "But she's a stranger." He said.

Al looked at his feet for a few seconds before looking up at his brother. "Yes but she saved us. I refuse to believe she could be a bad person."

Lux glanced between the two boys, before speaking up.

"_She _is running very late and is willing to drag you two with her if she has to."

Al gave her a look that said 'you wouldn't, would you?' Edward gave her a glare.

"Fine we'll go with you." He said turning away from Lux and Al. Edward started walking away.

"Um…Edward…that's the wrong way… my school's this way…" She said pointing the right way out to the kid.

Edward blushed slightly before changing the direction in which he was walking. Al laughed at his brother before following, a smiling Lux walked beside him.

A crash from ahead made them rush down the path.

Edward was lying face down on the floor, his foot caught in some tree roots. It was obvious he'd just tripped face first into the dirt.

Lux clapped her hands then touched the roots, the roots turned into small blocks off wood around Edward's foot. Al helped his brother up. Edward winced badly as he placed his right foot, the one that had been caught, on the floor.

"Well if you weren't hurt before you are now…" Lux said, stepping towards him.

Gently she scooped him up in her arms bridal style. Ignoring his protests she started walking, Al beside her.

"I'm already late enough as it is, kid, I don't need you limping slowing us down. Plus putting weight on it might make it worse." She said as she walked, glancing down at the young blond in her arms.

Edward folded his arms over his chest, yet again, a pout on his face. Lux couldn't help but smile, he looked adorable like that.

They managed to walk through her school without a single person seeing them. The boys glanced around as they walked, well as Al and Lux walked while Edward was carried.

"Welcome, boys, to Alchemy High." She said as she walked, noticing the boys curiosity.

"Wait did you say alchemy?" Edward asked, his face lit up in a smile, the first smile Lux had ever seen him give.

She smiled in return, "Yep, this is where I learn my alchemy. Which is what I used to save you and free your foot."

"So cool!" Edward exclaimed. He spotted the silver disk on Lux's choker, pointing to it he asked "Is that what allowed you to do those things earlier, I didn't see you draw a circle anywhere and that has one on it." Lux shook her head.

"Nope, I only use this when I can't clap." She explained.

"When you can't clap?" Al asked, looking up at her. Lux nodded.

"Yep, you see I can do a special rare type of alchemy that doesn't involve drawing a circle. But I need to be able to clap my hands to do it." She said. Both boys' faces lit up in grins.

"That's so awesome!" Al exclaimed happily.

"Can you teach us it?" Edward asked.

Lux's grip on the boy tightened slightly, but quickly slacked without the blond even noticing it. "No." she said. Lux quickened her pace; Al had to jog to keep up.

Edward's face dropped. "Why not?" He asked.

"Because." She replied, walking up a flight of stairs two at a time.

"Because why?" Edward asked.

"Because I said so." She replied, not wanting to go into details as to why she wouldn't teach them.

"That's a shit reason!" Edward shouted a frown on his face.

"Edward!" Lux exclaimed shocked. She stopped in the middle of the hallway.

"What!" Edward practically shouted back.

"Don't use that kind of language you're just a kid!" She said sternly.

"I'll use whatever kind of language I damn well please!" The boy replied, his tone getting harsher.

"Brother, Lux, please don't argue." Al said quietly.

"Stay out of this Al!" Ed snapped at his brother.

Al's eyes filled with hurt, his brother never shouted at him.

"Edward! Don't shout at your brother!" Lux scolded.

Edward's eyes narrowed, he hated being told what to do, especially by people he hardly knew.

"You can't tell me what to do! You aren't my mother! So put me down and leave me the fuck alone!" Edward shouted.

Lux breathed in a sharp intake of breath, trying to calm herself before she lost her temper too badly.

Al's pain filled voice made both Lux and Edward look down at him, "Brother…"

Edward's eyes widened as he released what he had done wrong. "Oh Al, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, I was just angry that's all." He said, Lux could tell he was sincere with his apology, though she couldn't tell what he said that had upset Al.

It's not like Edward had shouted those things at him.

Suddenly a realisation hit her, "Boys where are your parents?" She had a suspicion as to what had made Al sad.

Al looked down, shifting from one foot to the other. Edward looked at the ceiling as he spoke, "Our Mother died a few weeks ago… our dad left a long time ago, not that I give a fuck about where he is."

Lux had been right at least about the mother part, she would never have guessed about their father though. She started walking, looking straight ahead of her. Al followed, still looking down. Edward looked at Lux, he could have sworn he saw a tear in her eye but she blinked at it was gone.

Lux opened the door to her class room and walked in, Al close behind her. Every set of eyes in the room was on her, the young boy in her arm and the younger boy hiding behind her.

"You're very late, Miss Elric." Her teacher said. Turning she saw the scowl on his face. "And who are these two boys? Your records say you are an only child."

"I found them in the woods on my way here. A gang was attacking them." She explained, shifting Edward in her arms slightly.

"In case you aren't aware, Miss Elric, but this is a high school class. We don't take in little kids until their parents come to collect them." Her teacher said coldly.

He'd said the wrong thing.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO LITTLE EVEN A GRAIN OF RISE IS BIGGER THEN HIM!" Edward ranted.

Al facepalmed, he really needed to work on his brother's anger.

Lux sighed. "Edward no one said that, now hush." She said.

Edward pouted, causing many of the girls in the class to shout "Aww so adorable!"

The three in the doorway all rolled their eyes. The teacher glared at the class and they fell silent.

"We defiantly don't look after loud mouthed little brats." The teacher said his voice like ice. Edward's eyes narrowed but he stayed silent.

"I was hoping the nurse could check them over, Edward got his foot caught and fell. I don't know how badly he hurt it but he couldn't stand." She said calmly.

"To be honest, Miss Elric, I don't care if Edwin-" the teacher started.

"Edward!" Edward muttered angrily, "My name is Edward!"

"If the boy fell off the Great Wall in China and landed on his head, he cannot be here." The teacher said, speaking over Edward.

"Please, sir, we don't have anywhere to go and brother's hurt." Al said, causing all the girls to scream "Aww so cute!"

The teacher glared at the class causing them to become quiet. The teacher sighed.

"Fine then, I'll call the nurse. But as soon as she says you're both fine you are leaving." With that he left to room to call the nurse.

Lux sat Edward on a spare table at the front of the room before turning to Al.

"How did you manage to do that? Normally to get him to give in I have to argue all day." She said, picking the boy up and sitting him next to his brother.

Al blushed and shrugged. Lux laughed and ruffled both boys' hair. A few minutes later the school nurse walked in. She checked Al over first. Decided he was fine and checked over Edward.

"Hmm, it appears as if you just twisted your ankle. It will hurt for a little but should heal quickly. Other than that you appear to be fine, young man." She said, smiling at the blond boy.

Edward smiled back; glad it wasn't anything more than a twisted ankle. The nurse then left. As she exited she passed a man in uniform.

The man walked into the classroom and stood, a little away from the table the boys were sat on, facing them.

"You are the boys found in the woods by Miss Lux Elric. Is that correct?" The man asked. He didn't wait for an answer, probably because it was already clear as to what it was, before speaking again. "I am Colonel Roy Mustang; I'm here to collect you so we can find your parents."


	2. State vs Student

Chapter Two – State vs. Student

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><p>Al reached out and held his brother's hand; Lux could see from the look on both boys' faces they weren't comfortable with the idea of going with this man.<p>

She stepped forward so she was inbetween the man and the boys. She made sure she was facing the man, her eyes scanned over him taking in his blue uniform, short black hair and black eyes. She saw a gleam of silver attached to his belt and released it was the chain of a pocket watch.

This man was a State Alchemist. Lux smiled at this, things couldn't have been more perfect.

"And you must be Miss Lux Elric," Colonel Mustang said to Lux, looking her up and down, "The child prodigy." Edward looked at Lux, the corner of one side of his mouth moved up into a crooked grin.

"Yes that's who I am, but I don't fully understand who you are? What right do you have to come and take these children?" She asked.

Colonel Mustang smirked, "Hmm good question, I guess I have more right then you have to keep them here. I am the Flame Alchemist after all."

A murmur went through that class, they'd all learnt about him. Lux's eyes flashed with determination. She was going to make sure the military didn't take these boys. The military, in her eyes, were pathetic scum that got themselves into wars they had no hope of winning. Colonel Roy Mustang being a famous State Alchemist made this more fun for the 15 year old.

"I don't care what type of alchemist you are, we are not going with you, Colonel Bastard!" Edward shouted.

"Edward! I said don't use that language!" Lux paused, "Even if the Colonel is a bastard it's not nice to say so in front of a class full of children taught to praise the alchemists of the state." Lux added with a smirk.

Edward looked at Lux, confused as to whether or not he'd actually been told off for calling him that or told not to call him that in the classroom. He shrugged, guessing he'd find out later. Colonel Mustang stepped forward, looking at Lux.

"Miss Lux Elric, you can't stop me from taking these boys with me to Central HQ." Mustang turned to face Edward, "And boy, sorry to inform you but you don't get a say either."

Edward clenched his free hand into a fist, Al was looking from Mustang, to Lux to his brother trying to decide whether to speak or not. He decided not.

Lux moved so she was directly in front of the boys. "I'm sorry, Colonel Mustang, but I'm not letting you take them if they don't want to go with you." She said folding her arms over her chest.

Edward stuck his tongue out at the Colonel. Mustang narrowed his eyes.

"So what do you suppose happens to them? I cannot let a 15 year old look after two little kids." He said.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING LITTLE! YOU'RE ALL JUST FREAKISHLY TALL!" Edward shouted, earning him a warning look from Lux.

Calmly she asked, as if Edward hadn't spoken, "And why can't you? I already look after myself, I'm sure I can handle the boys."

"If, by some miracle, I let you look after them, heaven forbid. What are you going to be to them?" Mustang asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll tell you what I'm not going to be. I'm not going to try and replace their mother, I'm not going to force the boys to think of me as anything more than a friend, I'm not going to force my way into their hearts, I'm not going to force them to care for me… Now what I am going to do is care for them, I'm going to look out for them, and I'm going to protect them from people like you who think they're all high and mighty because they work for the fucking military!" She all but shouted in his face, with each sentence she had stepped forward till she was not even an arm's length away from the man.

"That doesn't answer my question; I asked what you are going to be to them." He replied calmly.

"That's easy; I'm going to be their friend." She said, smiling.

Through this whole conversation, Lux had been thinking up a plan, a plan that would lead to Colonel Roy Mustang letting her look after the boys and have his butt handed to him all at once.

"How about this, we have an alchemy battle. If I win I get to look after the boys with no interference from the military. You win and you can take them wherever and I won't stop you or go looking for them. How does that sound?" she said, walking backwards till she was next to the table the boys sat on.

Mustang thought for a second before nodding his head, "Deal."

Lux smiled, this was going to be one hell of a fight. A fight she didn't intend on losing.

"Where shall it take place?" Mustang asked her teacher.

"We have an arena. Right this way. Class why don't you watch, maybe you'll learn something." As he spoke he left the room.

Mustang followed him, smirking. He knew he was going to be victorious in this, after all his opponent was a child.

As soon as most of the class had left Edward jumped off the table, his hurt ankle forgotten.

"How could you do that? What if you lose? I am not going with that bastard!" The small blond said, frowning up at Lux. She laid a hand on his head and smiled.

"Don't worry, Edward. I don't plan on losing this fight." Her smile turned into a smirk.

Zahra, Lux's best friend, walked over at this point. "Lux I know you're the top of the class and all but do you really think you can beat a State Alchemist?" She asked, running a hand through her shoulder length black hair.

Lux's brow furrowed. "Does no one have faith in me?" she said, putting fake hurt in her voice.

Edward shifted slightly from one foot to the other, Zahra looked away from her friend, Al spoke up for the group.

"Of course we believe in you, it's just that we all know how strong State Alchemists are and you're still learning alchemy." Edward nodded in agreement.

Zahra's emerald eyes swept from the younger boy to Lux, trying to guess what Lux's reaction would be.

Lux smiled, "Don't worry, Al. I may still be in school but I bet I know more than the Colonel." She said, "Plus I have my secret weapon." Lux added winking at Al and Edward.

A grin spread on both boys' faces at this. They were both excited to see more of her alchemy without circles.

"Zahra, can you look after them while I kick the Colonel's ass?" Lux asked her friend.

Edward frowned; he didn't like the idea of being babysat by a stranger.

"Sure thing, Lux. I'd be happy to." Zahra replied, picking up Al. Said boy wrapped his arms around her neck and his legs around her waist.

"Um… Zahra, you do release it was Edward that hurt his ankle right?" Lux said, arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah I know." Zahra said, smiling.

Edward rolled his eyes, but the smile on his face said he wasn't bothered it was his brother getting carried and not him. Al giggled. Lux laughed softly, both at her friend and at Edward's reaction.

"Well we better get going, don't wanna be late for my own fight now do I?" she said, smiling at her friends.

Zahra nodded and headed for the door, Al in her arms happily. Lux took Edward's hand in hers and left to room. Edward smiled the whole walk outside, his hand never once let go of Lux's, this fact making Lux smile happily. The boy was warming up to her.

They reached the arena in no time. Lux let go of Edward's hand and walked to the middle of the stadium.

Zahra took the boys to the side and into the front row of spectators, making sure Edward could see over the barrier.

Mustang was waiting in the centre, his hands now adorned a set of white gloves, and each had a transmutation circle on the back.

"Took your time, I was starting to think you'd chickened out." Mustang said, smirking.

Lux smirked back, her eyes flashed with strong determination. "I would never chicken out of a fight when I'm guaranteed to win it." She said smugly.

Mustang chuckled; this girl had plenty of spirit that was for sure. The teacher announced the start of the fight. Lux held up a finger, motioning for one second before they began. She then pulled the ribbon out of her hair and braided it, tying the ribbon back in to hold it together.

"Now we can begin." She said, the smirk never leaving her face.

Mustang stood smugly and clicked his fingers. A small explosion happened where Lux was. Lux smirked more, doing a back flip to quickly avoid it.

"That all you got?" she asked, straightening out her skirt, luckily she always wore shorts under it encase they had a physical lesson.

Mustang snapped his fingers again and again and again. Making more explosions. Each one Lux dodged with style and grace, the smirk still placed on her face. She already knew how he was creating the explosions, she had known since the first click of his fingers.

During one of the pauses between explosions she clapped her hands together before slamming them against the floor. Blue lightning shot out around her from the place her hands made contact with the floor. Walls of stone erupted from the ground surrounding the Colonel before toppling over onto him. Just before they hit he clicked his fingers and made them explode.

"Gotta do better than that, girl." He said, walking towards her with his fingers ready to snap.

Lux didn't move from the place she was standing, she glanced over at the boys.

Edward had a huge grin on his face, his eyes shining with excitement. Al was smiling, his eyes following every movement the pair made. Lux smiled. Mustang smirked.

He used Lux's brief moment of distraction to click his fingers. Lux saw the movement in the corner of her eye, quickly back flipped to avoid it. Mid-backflip she clapped her hands together so when she landed on one hand the blue lightning burst from the ground, making a stone hand grab Mustang. She flipped herself up right, a smirk planted firmly on her face. She touched one hand to the charm on her choker, the other she pointed at Mustang. The transmutation circle on her choker shone brightly, blue electricity sparked from the palm of her hand which was facing Mustang. The ground shook as vines shot out of the ground; the vines were covered in thorns and blue roses. They entwined themselves around Mustang as the stone hands turned to dust.

Cheers erupted from those watching. There was no way Mustang could get out of the vines, they were way too thick and prickly for him to break free and they're ripped the circles off his gloves.

Lux had won just like she said she would.

Moving her bangs out of her face she smiled at the defeated Colonel.

"You put up a good fight, Colonel Mustang, but like I said I didn't plan to lose."

The rose vines released Mustang, letting him drop to the ground. Two boys raced over to Lux throwing their arms around her.

Zahra raced over, chasing after the young blonds.

"That was so amazing! I never doubt you for one minute! You are so awesome Lux! I knew you're clap alchemy would beat his snap alchemy!" Edward said excitedly, talking at fifty miles per hour.

Lux laughed as she placed a hand on each boys head.

"Calm down, Edward, don't forget to breathe between words." She said amused by the small boy.

"Ed." The boy replied, confusing Lux.

"Huh?" she said, frowning slightly. Edward looked up at her, a huge smile on his face.

"Call me Ed." He said.

Alphonse smiled brightly at his bother. Lux nodded before smiling back and ruffling the duo's hair. He was defiantly warming up to her.


	3. Introductions

Chapter Three – Introductions

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><p>A one person applause was heard and it was getting closer. Lux looked up to see Mustang walking towards them, a smile on his face.<p>

"Well done, girl, I wouldn't have expected any less from the child prodigy King Bradley has been so interested in." Mustang said, stopping his clapping.

Lux looked taken aback. "King Bradley had been interested in me?" She asked.

Mustang nodded. "Of course, he has high expectations for when you are older. But I'm forbidden to say any more than that." Mustang replied.

Lux thought for a few seconds. Edward looked from Lux to Mustang, a frown on his face. Al watched in silence.

"He wants me to become a state alchemist." It wasn't a question but a statement, Lux didn't need to ask.

Mustang nodded. Lux's gaze fell to the floor. The colonel smiled. Lux shook her head.

"No. No I won't ever become a state alchemist. I won't become a dog of the military. Not ever!" Lux said before turning and running back towards the school building.

Tears stung her eyes. Mustang smiled more, he'd achieved his aim of putting the idea of being a state alchemist into the young girls mind, it was only a matter of time before she took his bait. Another strong alchemist in the ranks might help him step up the ladder and all the way to the top. Mustang's thoughts were interrupted when a certain short blond kicked him in the shin.

"You made Lux upset! Stupid Colonel Bastard!" Ed shouted. Mustang glared down at the kid.

"Brother…" Al whispered. Ed shot a glare at Al, who hid behind Zahra.

"Watch yourself kid, play with a Flame and you might get burnt." Mustang threatened before turning and leaving.

Ed glared after him. "We'll see who gets burnt, but I guarantee it won't be me." He said before running in the direction Lux had ran off in.

Zahra chased after him, Al hot on her heels. Lux sat, hugging her knees, on the windowsill in the school's library. Her hair out of the braid and cascading down her back, the ribbon tied in place. Her bangs hiding her face from view. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks. She would not work for the military, no matter what happened, that would be the last thing she would do. Lux hated the military, they had ruined her life. The military had taken both her parents from her, she had no one. Lux shook her head, that wasn't true, not anymore. In fact three of the people she had left came running into the room at that moment. Hurriedly she wiped her eyes and climbed off the windowsill. As she finished straightening her skirt she felt two sets of arms wrap around her waist.

"He made you upset." Alphonse practically cried.

Lux laid a hand on each boy's head, before kneeling down and pulling them into a tight embrace. The three of them stayed like that for a while, Zahra watching with a smile. They hadn't even known each other for that long yet they were so close it seemed like they'd known each other for years. They were like a family Zahra realised, her smile widened. It was what her friend needed the most though she would never admit it.

Lux stood up, lifting both boys into her arms. Ed and Al wrapped their arms around her neck and their legs around her waist, using each other to not fall.

"Let's get to class, I've already been late twice today, I don't need to be late anymore." Lux said, heading for the door.

"I could carry one of them if you wanted, Lux." Zahra offered. Lux shook her head.

"Na, no need. I'll be fine, it's not like they're heavy or anything." She said.

Zahra nodded, a slight pout on her lips at not being able to carry Al. Lux noticed her pout and raised an eyebrow, stopping to look at her friend.

"Which one would you be willing to carry?" she asked. Ed caught on to Lux's train of thought and grinned, his golden eyes focused on Zahra.

Al, who hadn't caught on like his brother, was looking from Lux to Zahra in confusion.

Zahra blushed. "The younger one." She muttered. Lux smirked, she knew it. Edward chuckled, while his brother blushed. "He's just so adorable; he even managed to get sir to change his mind." Zahra said. Lux laughed.

"Al is defiantly adorable." Lux said, causing the young boy to blush more. Ed laughed at his brother. Who in return kicked him. Lux felt the boy kick, and looked down at him, giving him a warning glance.

He put an innocent look on his face, making both girls to say "Awww." Ed rolled his eyes at this. Lux chuckled at him as she started walking again. Zahra followed.

"You know you haven't actually introduced them to anyone." Zahra said.

"She's right." Ed said. Al nodded in agreement. Lux thought for a second as she walked.

"Ya right… I'll do that as soon as we get to class. If sir will let me that is." She said.

"If he doesn't, the younger brother could always persuade him otherwise." Zahra said. Al played with Lux's bangs, a soft blush on his cheeks.

"Yeah, Al, you could be like our secret weapon." Ed said his voice full of enthusiasm.

A smile tugged on Lux's lips, she was happy that Ed was starting to open up. She had felt that back in the woods he's been closing himself off, not wanting to get close to anyone, and here he was joking around with two people he had only just met even if it was at his brother's expense. Al was smiling at his brother, pleased with his brother's behaviour; Ed wasn't one to trust people easily. Zahra opened the class room door when they reached it. Letting Lux walk in first, Lux nodded her head in thanks as she passed. The teacher glared at Lux as she entered, the two boys in her arms.

"Sir, I was thinking that I could introduce the boys to everyone." Lux asked, shifting the boys slightly in her arms. Ed and Al looked hopefully at the teacher.

"And why would you need to do that? It's not like they'll be staying here." The teacher replied. Lux's eyes narrowed.

"They have nowhere to stay while I'm here." Lux said pleadingly.

"That is none of my concern, Miss Elric, now find a place to deposit them and take your seat." The teacher said, turning back to face the class. Edward's eyes narrowed as he glared daggers at the teacher.

"Please, mister teacher sir, we'd like to get to know everyone and possibly learn alchemy from someone talented like you." Al said, using his best innocent voice and look.

Lux and Ed stared disbelievingly at Alphonse. The kid was brilliant.

The teacher sighed before saying "I suppose it wouldn't hurt for you to be introduced… but as for the learning you and your brother will sit at the back and keep to yourselves. Got that, kid?" Al's face lit up, he nodded.

Ed just glared at the man. He didn't like him one bit, he was worse than Colonel Bastard (and he had made Lux cry). Lux grinned, she was going to have to learn a thing or two from Al. Zahra smiled at Lux before slipping past her and taking her seat. Lux set the boys on the table she'd sat them on before, this time she sat them so they were facing the class.

"Everyone, this is Alphonse and Edward." She pointed them out as she spoke.

Al waved to the class, a huge smile on his face. All the girls waved back, Zahra included. Ed's eyes glanced over everyone, taking in their appearances. He recognised someone, a male; he had attacked them in the woods. Ed smirked. This had just gotten better. Lux followed Ed's gaze, her eyes narrowed when she too recognised the guy. The teenager stared back at Ed, a sneer on his face. They're three-way glaring match was interrupted when all the girls, and a few guys, crowded round the table. All trying to get close to the young brothers.

The boys could only make out some of the questions asked, things like: "How old are you?" "Are you related to Lux?" "Where are you from?" "You are both just so adorable, can I take you home?" "Where are your parents?"

Lux hushed the group by slamming her fist onto the table. This action, combined with the loud bang it made, caused both Ed and Al to jump in shock. She gave them an apologetic smile.

"Everyone ask one at a time, they can't possible answer that many questions if they're asked all at once." She said.

The brothers gave her a thankful smile.

"Ok who first?" Lux asked, looking at her class mates who were all retreating to their desks.

A girl with short brown hair and glasses put her hand up, Lux nodded to her. "How old are you two?" she asked. Al looked at Ed, Edward nodded to him.

"I'm five and Al is four." He said. His answer got a few 'Awws' from girls, Lux rolled her eyes.

Another girl put up her hand, this girl had ginger hair tied in a high pony tail. "Why did you look at your brother, Al?" she asked.

Al rubbed the back of his head nervously. A realisation hit her; Al was suffering from a case of stage fright. She raised an eyebrow at this thought, he was always so confident when speaking to one person. Maybe that was it, he didn't mind if a few people listened but he was afraid to say something wrong in front of a whole class of teenagers who were all listening intently to him. She smiled, how cute she thought.

"Al." she said, the boy snapped his head round to look at her at the sound of his name.

"Yeah?" he said.

"Do you get stage fright?" She asked softly. Al nodded slightly.

"Brother normally does all the speaking." He said in a small whisper. Earning another round of 'Awws' from the girls.

Lux rolled her eyes at her class mates; they could be so silly sometimes. Ed sighed to himself, the girls were going to get annoying soon if they didn't stop with the silly Aww sound.

"Ok my question next," said a girl with wild black hair, "How do you know Lux?"

Ed smirked, he was going to enjoy answering this one, he shot a glance at the leader of the gang before speaking.

"She saved me and Al." he said simply. Everyone waited for him to continue, he didn't. The gang leader glared at him, that runt was going to tell everyone.

"What did she save you from?" Zahra asked, looking from Lux to the boys.

Lux was just staring at Ed; surely he wasn't stupid enough to tell everyone with the person she had saved them from in the room.

"A gang, they attacked me and my brother when we were walking through the woods. They had weapons, branches and metal poles, me and Al were defenceless. That is until Lux saved us." Ed was smirking.

Apparently he was that stupid. The gang leader's glare grew more intense.

"That's horrible, who would attack harmless little children!" one girl gasped as a mummer spread through the class.

Most of the boys looked enraged, the girls completely pissed off. Lux's hazel eyes begged for Edward to not continue, to not point out the gang leader. She knew if he did he would get hurt and she might not always be with him to save him. Edward's eyes weren't focused on Lux though so he didn't see her silent pleading, his eyes were focused on the gang leader's eyes, Ed smirked, the other leered. Al sighed inwardly that is brother hadn't heard her call him little but at the same time mentally curse his brother for opening his big mouth, Al had seen Lux's pleading gaze he knew his brother was practically digging his own grave.

Edward continued to speak "And you know the worst part? The worst part is that the leader of the attack is sat in this room, acting as if he didn't do anything wrong."

The smirk on Ed's face grew as everyone but the gang leader looked around, whispering things like "Who does he mean?" and "Who in here is heartless enough to attack children?"

Lux laid a hand on Ed's shoulder, her gaze had grown strict. "Enough, Ed." She whispered sternly to the blond child. He ignored her.

"That's the leader of the gang, that's the person who attacked us." Ed shouted, pointing to the gang leader.

Everyone's heads snapped in the direction he pointed. "Should have known it would be you picking on little kids, Darko." A boy with black hair and blue eyes said, standing up.

The gang leader, Darko, stood up. "I didn't do anything, I didn't attack the runt, why would I? What would I gain from that?" he said brushing his dark brown hair out of his face, his amber eyes glaring in Edward's direction.

"DON'T CALL ME A RUNT! OR I'LL RIP YOUR THROAT OUT!" Ed shouted, jumping down from the table. Darko's amber eyes narrowed, the twerp sure was feisty.

"Edward." Lux said in a warning tone. Ed glared at her, she glared back.

With a sigh Ed's gaze shifted to the floor. Al sat nervously on the table, watching everyone in the room. The boy with black hair and blue eyes walked over to Darko.

He spoke, ignoring Ed's outburst, "Knowing you, Darko, you probably attacked them thinking they were easy targets. That's probably what was running through your twisted mind."

Darko's glare turned full force onto him. "Watch what you say, Kaleb, or you might just find yourself in a world of hurt." Darko said his voice full of threat.

Kaleb didn't look phased, his blue eyes narrowed. "You don't scare me, Darko, you are nothing but a bully." He said.

Lux sighed.

Alphonse looked at the teacher who was sat at his desk, his feet up on it. A frown found its way onto Al's face. Ed looked from Kaleb to Darko, a small smirk on his face. Lux picked Ed up and sat him back on the table, her eyes glanced at Zahra who nodded and rushed over to keep an eye on the boys. Smiling thanks to her friend, Lux walked over to stand beside Kaleb.

She placed her hand on his arm. Blue eyes locked onto light hazel ones. "Kaleb, calm down, don't waste your time on this guy. He isn't worth it; I've already humiliated him and his gang, no need to get into a fight." Her voice was soft and gentle.

Kaleb nodded, "Ok, Lux. If you say so, but if he comes near those boys again be sure to tell me."

Lux smiled warmly and nodded. "Sure." She said, using her soft tone again.

Ed found himself glaring at Kaleb now instead of Darko.

Darko laughed icily. "And if I do go near the brats what are you going to do about it, Kaleb?" Darko said coldly.

Lux's grabbed the front of Darko's shirt and pinned him against the wall. "Don't you DARE call them brats, you bastard!" she shouted in his face.

Darko sneered. "Struck a never did I, bitch?" he said. A fist swung round quickly, slamming into Darko's jaw. It wasn't Lux's fist; it had been Kaleb's.

"Don't call her a bitch, you bastard!" Edward shouted from the table at the same time that Kaleb had punched Darko.

Lux was shocked by both boys' actions. Her grip loosened on Darko's shirt. The only words she could put into a sentence were "Edward don't swear." Ed's jaw dropped at this. Darko chuckled.

"Yes, kid, don't swear. It's not very nice." He said. Edward glared at him.

"Like you can talk you-" Edward began; Kaleb stopped him with a warning glare. He'd been on the receiving end of Lux's temper enough times to know that Ed being five wouldn't get in the way of her wrath. Darko used Lux's moments of distraction to shove her violently away from himself. Kaleb moved quickly to catch her before she hit the floor.

"You ok?" he asked. Lux nodded.

Ed jumped off the table and stormed over to them. His small hands clinched into fists.

"Brother…" Al called out, he was ignored. Zahra went to grab Ed's arm but missed. This wasn't going to be good.

Darko let out a hiss of pain when Ed stomped on his foot as hard as he could.

"You little brat!" Darko said, picking Ed up by the front of his T-shirt.

"DON'T CALL ME LITTLE OR A BRAT! YOU BASTARD!" Ed shouted, flailing his arms and legs.

"I'll call you what I want, you pint-sized second rate excuse for a human being." Darko said, holding Ed at arms-length to avoid his thrashing limbs and against the wall.

Edward was about to shout a response when Darko's fist made contact with his stomach, knocking all the air out of him.

"Brother!" Al screamed as nearly the whole classed gasped.

Kaleb's blue eyes narrowed in anger. Zahra looked both shocked and enraged. Lux looked extremely pissed. Her eyes narrowed dangerously, her hands clinched into fists as she stood up, her vision flashing red.

"How dare you! Now I'm pissed!" she said through gritted teeth. "Now put the boy down." She spoke slowly but demandingly.

Darko's eyes lit up with fire, he sneered lowering Ed to the ground. Edward immediately collapsed to his knees, struggling to regain his breath. Kaleb picked the young boy up and carried him over to Zahra and Al, placing him on the table. Lux's eyes followed Kaleb as he carried Ed away. Seeing Edward struggle to breathe her anger reached a new peak. Hot angry tears pricked her eyes as she slammed her fist into Darko's stomach with as much force as she could manage.

"You make me sick! Picking on young children!" She screamed as she repeatedly brought her fist round to meet Darko's body.

Darko grunted in pain with each hit. Al was hugging Ed tightly, pressing his face into Ed's shoulder. Ed was watching Lux, still trying to regain his ability to breathe properly. Kaleb had a hand on Ed's shoulder, his eyes fixed on Lux's fist. Zahra was rubbing circle on Al's back, her eyes full of concern as she watched him flinch with each punch Lux made. Lux didn't stop punching, even when Darko's face was covered in blood and bruises.

"Lux… Stop…That's enough…" Ed wheezed, obviously still in pain from the punch.

Lux stopped. She blinked a few times in shock. She looked at Darko's broken and bleeding form, letting go of his shirt she stepped back. Her hands over her mouth. Her eyes travelled to the boys. Ed's eyes were full of worry, his arms wrapped around his stomach. Al was hiding his face in his brother's shoulder, gripping tightly to Ed's clothes. Lux's eyes widened. Kaleb looked at the floor, not wanting to meet her gaze, Zahra also avoided her gaze. Tears leaked from Lux's eyes. Someone clapped. The one person applause was so different from the one she had received from Roy Mustang earlier that day. It was a hollow applause of congratulations. A taunting applause. It didn't mean anything. Lux's knees gave out from under her, slowly she fell forward. Her eyes closed. The world turned black as someone's arms caught her, stopping her from hitting the floor. The last sound she heard was that mocking one man applause.


	4. Family

Chapter Four – Family

* * *

><p>Lux's eyes slowly opened; at first she didn't register anything. Then she realised she was laying on some sort of make shift bed. Glancing around the room she noticed she was lying at the back of the classroom. Carefully she sat up, laying a hand to her head when dizziness set in. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see it belonged to Kaleb.<p>

"You ok?" he asked, his blue eyes scanning over ever inch of her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine… just a little dizzy that's all." She said.

A frown found its way onto Kaleb's face. "What could have caused you to faint?" he wondered aloud.

Lux shrugged, before remembering something. "I didn't eat this morning…" she said.

Kaleb looked shocked, before checking his watch. "You are such an idiot sometimes, Lux, ya know that right? It's nearly 3 o'clock, no wonder you fainted. What with all the alchemy you've done today." He scolded her.

Lux pouted slightly, folding her arms over her chest. Kaleb couldn't help but laugh at her. Before she could react two small blonds had latched themselves onto Lux.

"Are you ok? Did that bastard hurt you? If he did I'll kick his ass!" Edward said, hugging one of Lux's arms tightly. Al who was clinging to her other arm nodded in agreement with his brother.

Lux smiled. "I'm fine. He didn't hurt me." She said.

Ed looked thoughtful for a second. "Then why did you faint?" He asked.

"Was it because you needed a nap after beating the colonel guy?" Al added.

Lux shook her head, "I fainted because I haven't eaten all day, that's all." Right on queue both boys stomachs growled. "And I'm guessing neither of you have two?" She asked. Both boys nodded.

Kaleb rolled his eyes. "I'll be right back." He said before leaving the room.

Zahra walked in at that moment. "I see you're finally awake." She said, walking over to her friend and knelt down.

"How long was I out for?" Lux asked shifting so she was sat cross-legged, the boys still latched onto her arms.

"Well about three hours…" Zahra said, giving a sheepish grin.

"What! That long!" Lux shouted, her eyes widened. Zahra nodded.

"We were worried you wouldn't wake up…" Al said quietly, "And that we'd be all alone again…." Lux looked down at him, suddenly understanding why they were clinging to her arms so tightly. Her fainting had reminded them of their mother's death.

She smiled warmly. Then leant down and kissed each boy on the forehead. "You won't ever be alone again, I promise, I will always be here for you two." She said reassuringly. It worked, both boys faces lit up in huge grins. They let go of her arms and wrapped their arms around her, she hugged them back. Zahra smiled at them as Kaleb came back with a tray piled high with food.

He laid the tray in front of them. "For you and the boys." He said, smiling at them.

"Thank you, Kaleb." Lux said, unwrapping her arms from around the boys to pick up a roll.

"You're welcome." Kaleb said, sitting next to Zahra.

Ed smiled also picking up a roll, Al followed suit. They sat in silence for a while with Ed, Al and Lux munching through the food happily. Al sat happily, once he'd had his fill, sipping his milk. Ed on the other hand just glared at his.

Lux sighed. "Ed, it's not going to kill you to drink the milk." She said, at first the young blonds starring contest with his drink had been funny but it had grown old fast.

"But it's gross!" he whined.

"Do you want to get taller someday?" Lux asked. Ed looked away from his milk to glare at her.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SHORT!" He shouted. Lux had had enough.

"THE BOY WHO'S GLARING AT HIS MILK!" She shouted back.

Kaleb and Zahra watched the argument in amusement, glad they weren't part of it.

"I'M NOT DRINKING IT!" Ed shouted.

"EDWARD YOU WILL DRINK THAT MILK EVEN IF I HAVE TO FORCE IT DOWN YOUR THROAT, GOT THAT?" Lux shouted louder.

The young boy pouted, looked at his hands in his lap and muttered "But it's yucky… "

Lux sighed. She was not in the mood to argue with the boy. She didn't know why she had even turned it into an argument. She laid a hand on his head. He didn't look up. Was she really cut out for looking after little kids, she doubted it. She sighed again.

"How about this, Edward, you drink a little bit and I'll buy you a cookie." She knew it was wrong to bribe the kid but he needed to drink milk to make his bones strong.

He thought for a second, before nodding. "Ok… A big chocolate chip one?" he asked, looking up at her with a grin on his face.

Lux smiled and nodded. "Yeah." She said.

"I drank all my milk, do I get one too?" Al asked. Lux smiled at him.

"Of course you do, Alphonse." she said.

Ed picked up the milk, glared at it for a few seconds before taking a few sips of it. Lux smiled at him. Ed quickly decided he'd drunk enough to get a cookie and put the milk down, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

"Don't use your sleeve." She scolded, passing him a napkin.

Ed rolled his eyes, wiping his mouth again but this time on the napkin. If this was what he was like at the age of five, Lux was dreading his teenage years. Both brothers yawned, moving over to lay down either side of Lux. She was surprised when they curled up against her sides. She hummed a lullaby to them softly till they had both drifted off to sleep. A knock at the door made all three teenagers to look at the door. A few of their other teachers were stood there with boxes in their arms. Noticing the sleeping children the teachers silently walked into the room and over to them.

"We heard you were looking after two children, Miss Elric, and though we'd help you out," one said.

"So we went home and got things from when our children were the boy's ages. We also got you some books on child care," another added.

"And if you have any questions feel free to ask us," yet another said.

They placed the boxes down and left. Leaving the teenagers speechless. Ed shifted closer to Lux in his sleep; she smiled down at his peaceful face. Zahra started looking through the boxes with Kaleb's help. Lux's eyes drifted away from the sleeping boy and to her two friends.

"What's in there?" she asked, making sure not to wake the boys.

"Some clothes that might fit, children books, a few toys, drawing books and crayons, things like that…" Zahra said. Lux nodded.

"I'd suggest you go shopping with them after you get your next pay check…" Kaleb said, scrunching his nose up at the clothes in the box.

Lux laughed softly and nodded. "Maybe you two could come?" She asked.

Zahra's face lit up. "Oh of course!" she said excited by the possibility of shopping for the young boys, especially Alphonse.

Kaleb nodded. "Sure." He said, not as enthusiastic at Zahra but his voice still held interest.

"That reminds me, where are they going to stay the next two days while I'm at school?" Lux asked, her eyes glancing down at the sleeping forms curled up at her sides.

"What about Winry's place?" Zahra suggested. Lux shook her head.

"She has school too." Lux stated.

"What about the old woman?" Kaleb said. Again Lux shook her head.

"Not fair on her to leave two hyper boys in her care." She said.

"My mom could look after them; she always says she misses it when I was Edward's age." Kaleb said.

"Or my parents could, they'd have lots of room to run around at my place." Zahra offered.

Lux shook her head. "Both your families have work, besides Ed doesn't really get on with people he doesn't know… it took him the whole walk here to get used to me." Lux said, stroking the sleeping blond's hair. A small smile gracing her lips.

"That only leaves one option." Kaleb said. Zahra nodded in agreement.

"They have to come to school with you." They said in unison. Lux shook her head.

"I don't fancy a repeat of today, thank you very much." She said.

Zahra rolled her eyes at her stubborn friend.

"That won't happen, Lux, everyone in the class is willing to keep an eye on them. Darko won't get anywhere near them." Kaleb said.

"Plus, Al already persuaded Sir to let them stay here. As long as they sit at the back and are quiet." Zahra added.

"I can't see Edward staying quiet while a lesson on alchemy is taking place… I can't see him being quiet no matter what lesson is going on…" Lux said, smiling down at the young boy in question.

"Actually you'd be surprised, Lux, while you were out of it they were as good as gold. Both of them." Kaleb said. Lux looked shocked.

"Really? How did you get Ed to behave?" she asked. Kaleb and Zahra smiled.

"We do what we do with you when we want you to behave." Kaleb said.

Lux tilted her head in confusion, trying to ignore the possible insult.

"We gave them alchemy books to read." Zahra said.

"But any books we have here would be far too difficult for them. They're only children." Lux said, frowning slightly.

"Actually, they understood them fine. Admittedly Al only read the easier ones but Ed was reading the difficult stuff, some of which not even I have read." Kaleb said sounding slightly shocked himself.

Lux smiled down at a sleeping Edward.

"He was the one that made you the make shift bed by transmuting spare jumpers." Zahra said.

Lux looked up at her two friends. Her hazel eyes searching the green and blue orbs. "That's amazing." She said, her lips curling up into a proud smile. "Maybe we have another prodigy amongst us." She said, turning her gaze back to the sleeping boy.

Her friends nodded. "I wonder if Al has the potential too…" Her gaze shifted to the boys sleeping brother. "Either way, I'm going to keep their alchemic abilities away from the military. I won't ever let them become dogs of the military like that pathetic Colonel _Bastard._" Lux said, deciding to use Ed's nickname for Mustang.

Zahra smiled at her friend. For as long as Zahra could remember Lux had been like this, if Lux ever found something to aim for she was determined to achieve that aim, protecting these boys was no different.

Kaleb, seemingly driven by Lux's little speech, jumped up from where he was sat and threw his fist into the air. "I'm with ya on this, Lux!" He said enthusiastically.

Lux hushed him, glancing down at the sleeping children, who luckily didn't awaken. Kaleb sat back down. He smiled when Lux gently stroked the boys' hair out of their faces, a compassionate smile on her face.

Kaleb and Zahra exchanged a grin, before turning back to face their friend and her young charges. They both knew this was what Lux needed, someone else in her life to care for. And they knew Lux was what the boys needed, someone to care for and protect them.

The three of them had needed a family, and they had found it.


	5. One in Seven

Chapter Five – One in Seven

Lux suddenly had an idea, turning away from the boys she looked at Kaleb.

"Get me my bag." She ordered, trying to sound polite. The look on Kaleb's face told her she hadn't been successful. "I mean, please can you pass me my bag." She said, fluttering her eye lashes at him. Kaleb rolled his eyes before he got up and got it, passing it to her.

"A please the first time would have been nice. I know ya skipped manors class but still." He said, sitting back down.

Lux rummaged through her bag. "Sorry, Kaleb, it just this is urgent." She said pulling two small black books out of her bag. Kaleb and Zahra each raised an eyebrow. Lux quickly flipped through one of them. "Good still got a lot of room left so I won't need the spare anytime soon before I can get another one ordered." She said more to herself then the others, closing the book. She picked up the second book, found a pen and turned to the first page. At the top she wrote, in her neat and curly writing, _Edward_. She underlined it before turning to the next page. She proceeded to write _Alphonse_ at the top, underlining it too. Kaleb, who was very confused, knew she got like this when she had an idea and that it would take hours to get her to snap out of her little daze. But he couldn't take it any longer; he had to know what she was up to before he was stuck permanently confused.

"What are you doing, Lux?" he asked. Her head snapped up from what she was writing.

"Huh?" she asked, not having heard him.

"What are you writing?" he repeated, speaking slowly this time. She finished her sentence before handing the book to him.

"Notes." She said simply as if it was obvious. Kaleb read what was written on the two pages. Zahra read over his shoulder. The pages looked like this:

_Edward_

_Five years old._

_Hates milk, short because of this._

_Tends to rant when called short. _

_Need to work on his 'French'. _

_Cares a lot for his little brother._

_Bad sense of direction. _

_Can be grumpy and unsociable, but is a pleasant child once gotten to know._

_Nice when he's asleep as it's quieter. _

_Seems to be very skilled at alchemy, based on the books he reads._

_Loves to read, good way to make him behave._

_Alphonse_

_Four years old._

_Very sweet and well mannered, unlike Edward._

_Nearly as tall as his older brother, probably 'cause he actually drinks his milk._

_Better language then older brother._

_ Seems to try and stop his brother doing stupid things. _

_Can even get sir to do what he wants, must get him to teach me this._

_Don't know alchemy skill but suspect it's a close level to Edward's. _

_Cares lots for his big brother. _

_Probably makes friends easily, a trait which I doubt Edward has._

Kaleb laughed. "These are your notes? What use are they? Isn't this all the things you know from looking after them for the day?" he said. Lux nodded.

"Yeah, these are my notes. I'm going to use them to keep track of their personalities, likes, dislikes, talents and things I need to teach them. I'm hoping it'll help me look after them." She said.

"I think it's a good idea! I mean keeping notes is what alchemists do, it's how they learn. It's natural for you to do it this way. If I had to look after two kids I'd make notes." Zahra said, grinning.

Kaleb thought for a few seconds. "Ok I see ya point but still. Some of these notes are pointless. How are they helpful?" he asked.

Lux took the book back from him, closed it and ran her fingers over the cover. Her fingers traced the Flamel's cross she had embroidered onto the leather cover. "They are not pointless, every little detail about them could be important someday. For example, I'm going to get Ed to swear less and to control his anger, while I try and encourage him to drink milk." She said, her mind neither focused on the convocation or the movement of her fingers as they glided over the books cover.

"But Alphonse seems to have less flaws then Edward; actually I think he has none written down." Kaleb said, his eyes focused on Lux's hand.

"I haven't noticed anything like that about Al yet." She said, looking down at said boy. She closed the book; it made a loud clap sound. Lux gasped as a memory came flooding back. She quickly looked up at her friends. "That clap!" she exclaimed. Something lit up in her eyes. Kaleb and Zahra exchanged a glance.

"What clap?" Zahra asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Someone clapped when I fainted. Who was it? The one person applause?" she said. Kaleb was about to speak when someone beat him to it.

"That would be me." A cold masculine voice said. Three heads snapped round to look. A man with brown spikey hair leant against the doorframe. He smirked, showing that his teeth were pointed and sharp. Lux's eyes travelled over his body, taking in his appearance. She briefly wondered why he was wearing sunglasses inside before narrowing her eyes. She didn't like him, something about him seemed dangerous. Subconsciously she hugged the boys closer to her sides.

Ed started to stir. He looked at her with sleep filled golden eyes. "Lux?" his voice was full of tiredness.

She brushed his bangs off his face and spoke in a soothing voice, "Go back to sleep, Edward." He nodded, reclosing his eyes. Her attention went back to the man in the doorway. "Who are you?" she said, narrowing her eyes more. He pushed away from the doorframe and walked towards them.

"I'm Greed." He said, his voice sending shivers up the three teenager's spines. Kaleb snorted but didn't say anything. Lux kept her eyes on Greed, watching as he moved closer. "I heard there were some strong alchemists in this school." He said stopping just a little away from them.

"What's it to you if there are?" Kaleb said. Greed turned his head towards him.

"If there are I'd like their help." He said, stepping closer.

"Help with what?" Lux asked, pulling the boys closer being careful not to wake them. Greed turned his head back to face Lux.

"I need the alchemist's help with something. And I'd be very willing to beat the answers I need out of them." His voice was laced with threat. "From what I saw earlier, you are the strong alchemist I was looking for, girl." He stepped closer to her. Lux's body tensed as he got within an arms-length away from her. Kaleb quickly moved to be in-between her and Greed.

"Stay away from her!" he shouted. Greed easily knocked Kaleb across the room with one quick swipe of his arm.

"Kaleb!" Lux shouted, her eyes following the movement of his body as it made contact with the wall. Zahra darted over to him, kneeled down and checked to see for any life threatening signs. Finding none she relaxed slightly. Lux felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Greed crouching at her eye level. His hand gripped her shoulder tightly.

All the shouts had woken up the brothers. Ed sat up and rubbed sleep from his eyes. Al copied him.

"What's all the shouting about?" Ed asked sleepily. Greed's attention went from Lux to Edward and Alphonse. He raised an eyebrow before smirking.

"I can see from how you acted towards the military man and bully that you'll do anything to protect these two… so maybe instead of trying to force you to help me by beating the answer out of you I can use a…. different method… I would hate to have to hurt such a pretty girl after all" His smirk grew. Greed reached towards Ed, who was the closer of the two boys. Following his movement Lux reached out trying to grab Ed before the man could get him. Before Lux could reach him Greed had picked Ed up, supporting him from under his back and behind his knees. Edward seemed to wake up fully the instant he was scooped off the floor. Greed moved out of Lux's reach, he gripped the small boy tightly.

As Lux shouted "Edward!" Al shouted "Brother!" Ed struggled in Greed's grip.

"Let go of me you jerk! Put me down!" he shouted. Greed tightened his grip, causing Ed to gasp in pain.

"Stop squirming brat!" he said, giving Ed a shake. Kaleb tried sitting up from where he lay next to the wall, wincing when pain shot through his shoulder. Zahra didn't notice him move, her eyes focused on Edward and Greed. Greed smirked more, seeing Kaleb move out of the corner of his eyes. "Stop moving boy, or the brat gets it." He threated.

Kaleb froze and gritted his teeth. All his weight was on his arm with the hurt shoulder. He didn't dare move into a proper sitting position.

"Don't hurt him! Don't hurt my brother!" Al shouted his voice full of fear. Gently Lux pulled him into her arms.

"Put Ed down, there's no need to threaten him. I'll do as you say." She said, glaring at Greed. Greed shook his head.

"No can do girl, if I put the brat down you'll all just attack me. I don't want to have to damage what might be important to me." He said, grinning. Kaleb snorted again, every set of eyes looked at him.

"We wouldn't be the ones that get damaged, creep, it would be you. Lux is the strongest alchemist I know; she could kick your ass in no time at all. That is if you played fair and put the kid down." He said, keeping the pain out of his voice.

"Isn't that even more reason to keep a hold of him? So as not to get my ass kicked as you put it." Greed said, he sounded amused.

Ed, hoping the attention wasn't on him, tried getting out of Greed's arms. Noticing immediately Greed tightened his grip, digging sharp nails into Ed's arm and leg. Ed hissed in pain, swiftly lifting his knee and ramming it into Greed's chin. A low chuckle came from the Sin.

"Was that meant to hurt?" he said in a low and dangerous tone. Ed gulped. Greed rapidly shifted Ed so he was holding him by the shoulders. Ed kicked his now dangling feet. Greed held him at an arms-length before starting to squeeze the boys shoulders, a satisfied smirk appeared on his lips when Ed tilted his head back and bit his lip in an effort not to yell in pain. As Greed added pressure Ed bit down harder drawing blood. Lux watched horrified, not daring to move in case Greed did worse to the young blond. Al whimpered pressing his head into Lux's side, terrified for his brother. Lux rubbed circles on the small boy's back in an attempt to try and calm him. Kaleb's arm had pins and needles by now adding to his discomfort as pain shot through his shoulder. Zahra's eyes darted from Lux and Al to Ed and Greed, she obviously wanted to help but didn't know how without Ed suffering. From the doorway a gun was cocked.

"Put the boy down." A female voice said, "Or I will shoot you."

Lux knew this was an empty threat; no one would dare shot at someone if they had a child in their arms. Two people walked into the room. Lux looked over at them briefly. She recognised the Colonel with his messy black hair and piercing black eyes but not the woman beside him. She had blonde hair, which was fastened up in the back with a clip, her bangs fall from right to left and partly obscure her left eye. Her eyes were a brownish amber colour, she wore the military uniform. Greed turned slightly and grinned.

"You wouldn't shot me, not while the brat's in my hold. I could easily use his as a shield." As he spoke Greed added more force to his vice like grip on Edward's shoulders. Blood dripped down Ed's chin as he bit harder onto his lip, cutting it deeper.

Mustang put his spark cloves on. "Drop the boy or I burn your hands." He threatened.

Greed turned to face the two military officers fully, his grip on Ed stronger than ever. Lux shifted Al so he was behind her, slowly she moved into a crouching position. Mustang's gaze shifted to her briefly before turning back to Greed. The Colonel stepped forward.

"Pass the boy here now, and you won't get burned." He said, holding a hand out to receive the young blond.

"Why would I do that? The moment he leaves my clutches I have no human shield." Greed said. A whimper escaped Ed as his arms started to go numb. Lux crept closer. Kaleb and Zahra's eyes were on her, watching her movement and making fake coughing sounds to hide any sound she made.

"It's not right to use children as shield, now put the boy down. You're hurting him." The blonde female said, her gun pointed at Greed's head.

"Oh this isn't hurting him, this isn't true pain. I can show him worse. If any of you move, even a tiny bit, I'll break every bone in his tiny body." Greed said, clutching Ed's shoulders tighter for emphasise. Lux gritted her teeth, inching closer.

"DON'T CALL ME SMALL OR I'LL TRANSMUTE YOU INTO AN ANT!" Ed shouted through gritted teeth, blood trickled down his chin freely now his teeth weren't there to stop it. Lux used Ed's rant to hide the sound of her lunging towards Greed. She latched her arms around Greed's neck successfully cutting off his oxygen supply.

"Put the boy down, now!" she said into the Sin's ear, her voice dripping with venom. Greed smirked but didn't drop Ed. Lux tightened her grip on his throat, digging her knees into his back. "I said put him down!" She said, putting more venom into her voice. Greed didn't stop smirking but dropped Ed. Said boy landed in a heap on the floor with a yelp. Al went to run to his brother's side but a warning glare from Mustang told him to sit still. Lux slid of Greed's back, collected Ed in her arms and ran over to Al. She stood in front of the younger boy, shielding him from view. With Ed and Lux out of the way Mustang clicked his fingers sending flames towards the Sin. His co-worker fired her gun. When the flames had cleared the window was broken and Greed was gone.

Everyone was still and silent for a minute before Mustang walked over to Lux. The blonde female put her gun away and walked over to Kaleb and Zahra.

"You know that was a reckless thing to do." He scolded. Lux glared at him, shifting how she was holding Ed so his legs were wrapped around her waist. She supported his weight with one hand under his bum, her other hand she placed on the back of his head. He wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on her shoulder.

"He had Edward; I was not going to just wait for the stalemate to end while he was hurting him." She said, running her fingers through a shaking Ed's hair.

Mustang's eyes focused on her hand that was combing through the blond locks. A small smile appeared on his lips. It disappeared when Lux spoke again.

"Why are you even here?" She said to him though her focus was more on Ed.

"We were passing by the school when we noticed a break in the fence, we came to investigate. And it's a good thing too, you owe us kid." Mustang said.

"I don't owe you anything. I didn't need your help to save Ed." Lux snapped. She felt Al hug onto her leg and looked down at him. He looked just as shaken up as Ed. She bent down and picked the younger boy up, holding him the same as Ed. Al latched his arms onto her to hold himself up and rested his head on her shoulder. She walked past Mustang and over to her friends. Kaleb had his shirt undone and off his shoulder so the blonde female could look at it. He was blushing. Lux rolled her eyes before asking

"Is he ok?" The blonde nodded.

"Yeah, probably just badly bruised. I suggest you take it easy for the next week ok?" she said. Kaleb nodded, apparently unable to speak. Zahra was sat in silence her eyes on the floor.

"Are you ok?" Lux asked her; worried she'd missed her getting hurt.

Zahra nodded slowly. "Yeah." She said.

Lux frowned slightly but didn't ask any more questions, knowing if her friend wished to tell her she would.

Kaleb seemed to regain his ability to speak when he saw the blood drip from Ed's chin and onto Lux's shoulder, "He could do with someone looking at his lip." Zahra stood up.

"I'll go get the nurse." She said rushing towards the door. Lux placed the boys on a table much to their displeasure. She placed her hands on their heads and rubs circles onto their scalps with her thumbs. The blonde reached out with a white cloth and wiped the blood of Ed's chin. "There." She said. "And for you." She added holding a different cloth out to Lux, "for the blood on your shoulder." Lux smiled and wiped the blood off. "Thanks…um…" The blonde smiled.

"Hawkeye. Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye." She said, holding out a hand. Lux shook it.

"Lux Elric, it's a pleasure to meet you." Lux replied. Hawkeye nodded her head, smiling.

"Kaleb Kashi." Kaleb said, using his good arm to push himself up the wall into a standing position. Hawkeye nodded to him.

"The other girl is Zahra Yume." Lux said. She looked at the boys indicating they should introduce themselves. Ed looked anywhere but at her, obviously still nursing his hurt pride from being easily lifted by Greed.

"I'm Alphonse, and this is my brother Edward." Al said quietly.

"It's nice to meet you, Alphonse and Edward." Riza said, smiling warmly. Kaleb's jaw dropped, all he'd gotten was a nod.

Mustang saw the look on Kaleb's face and moved to whisper in his ear, "Don't worry kid, she acts cold towards me too."

As if to prove Mustang's point Riza cocked her gun and turned to face him. "What was that Colonel? You know you shouldn't whisper." She said.

Mustang gulped. "I said nothing." He said. Kaleb and Lux laughed.

Though Lux soon stopped when she saw neither of the brothers had. Zahra retuned at that point, the school nurse following her. Hawkeye uncocked her gun and put it away upon their entry.

"Which one of you is hurt?" She said. Lux pointed to Edward. The nurse went over to him and looked at his busted lip. "Hmmm looks like it needs stitches." She said, going in her bag to get them. When she pulled out the needle Ed's whole body went ridged and his breath hitched.

Lux wrapped her arms around him and made soothing sounds. "It's ok, Ed, it won't hurt." She said. The nurse nodded to her words.

She pulled out a numbing gel. "It won't if we put this on your lip first." She said. Lux ran her fingers through Ed's hair.

"So be a good boy ok, and sit still for the nice nurse." Lux said.

Ed muttered something along the lines of "No nurse is nice." But Lux couldn't quite hear him. The nurse put the gel on his lip then preceded to stich it up. The whole time Lux combed her fingers through his hair while Al held his hand. To all in the room it was obvious Ed didn't like nurses, his body was stiff the entire way through it and when the needle and thread were pulled taut his eyebrows would twitch into a frown briefly. As soon as it was over he threw his arms around Lux, burring his face in her stomach. He flinched when he moved his arms. She rubbed his back, trying to comfort him.

The nurse, who had noticed him flinch, asked "May I see your arms?"

When Ed shook his head Lux gently pushed him away, crouched down so she was at eye level and softly said "C'mon Ed, show her your arms."

Ed pouted but let the nurse roll up the sleeves of his T-shirt. Purple bruises were already starting to form in the shape of Greed's hands. Lux frowned.

"Well there's nothing I can do about bruises, but they should go within a week or so." The nurse said, pulling Ed's sleeves back into place.

"Thank you." Lux said to her, ruffling Ed's hair. Ed immediately sorted it back into place causing Al and Kaleb to chuckle.

"Just doing my job." The nurse said before leaving.

"What time is it?" Lux asked, straightening Ed's T-shirt. Kaleb looked at his watch.

"Late." He said. Lux rolled her eyes.

"How late?" She inquired. He looked at his watch again.

"Nearly eight." He replied. Lux nodded to him.

"You two shouldn't have stayed here, you know, both your parents are going to be furious when you get home." She said. Kaleb shrugged then winced and regretted it. Zahra didn't respond. Lux frowned slightly. "You ok, Zahra?" she asked.

Zahra nodded before leaving the room, muttering something like "I gotta get home though…" A hand was placed on her shoulder before she could get out the door.

"Please tell me what's wrong." Lux said, turning her friend around. Zahra stared at the floor.

"You were all in danger and I couldn't do anything…" she muttered. Lux pulled her friend into a hug.

"I'm glad you didn't do anything. If you had he would have hurt you too. It's bad enough he hurt Edward and Kaleb all because he wanted something from me." Lux said. Zahra nodded, hugging Lux back.

"She was right though, we do need ta get home." Kaleb said. Lux and Zahra ended their hug and nodded.

"We'll give you a lift." Hawkeye said. Mustang looked shocked at this.

"We will?" he asked. Hawkeye nodded.

"Of course." She said. Mustang pouted causing Lux and the brothers to giggle.

"Thank you." Lux said, "We really appreciate it."

"Happy to help, Lux." Hawkeye replied. She smiled before heading towards the door. Mustang picked up the boxes given to Lux by the teachers and followed as did Zahra and Kaleb.

"C'mon boys. Let's go." Lux said turning to face them. Both boys held up their arms signalling they wanted to be carried. Lux chuckled before going over and picking them up. Al wrapped his arms around her neck while Ed gripped onto her shirt. She supported them from under their bottoms and held them so they had a leg either side of her hips. She started walking, hurrying to catch up with the others. Mustang led them to his car. He opened it, put the boxes in the boot and climbed in the driver's seat. Hawkeye got in the passenger's. Zahra got in behind Hawkeye, Kaleb next to her. Lux passed Al to Kaleb who sat with him on his lap, she then got in and sat Ed on her own lap. As Mustang drove the brothers chatted excitedly about what Lux's house would look like. Zahra and Kaleb started to talk about what they'd learnt at school that day while Hawkeye lectured Mustang on getting his paper work done. Lux smiled as she watched the scenery outside the window and listened to the conversations. Every now and then she would point out what road Mustang needed to turn down. Soon they were parked outside her house. She passed Ed to Kaleb while she climbed out then took both boys off him.

"Thank you, both of you, for everything today." She said to the adults.

"No need to thank us, Lux." Hawkeye said.

"I'm sure I can find a way for you to repay me, Lux, Equivalent Exchange and all." Mustang said with a grin. Lux chuckled and nodded before kicking the door close and walking over to her house. Mustang watched till she had safely got inside, amazed that she could get her keys out while holding the boys. Lux turned before entering to wave, Al and Ed waved as well. They watched Mustang drive away then Lux closed the door. She turned around to face the inside of her house, glad she always kept it tidy.

"Welcome to your new home, boys." She said smiling.


	6. New Home

Chapter six – New home

Both boys' faces lit up in huge grins as Lux set them on their feet. Immediately they raced away from her, looking into every room before checking out the next. Lux smiled and waited for them at the bottom of the stairs, ready to show them their rooms. It took the boys a total of five minutes to explore the downstairs and peek into the garden. They ran back to Lux, grinning like maniacs. Lux chuckled before turning and walking up the stairs, the boys hot on her heels. She walked past each room, pointing out what was what. She stopped at the end of the hall. "These are your bedrooms." She said, pointing to two rooms next to each other. "Decide between you who gets which one, they're both the same size though." She said. They nodded before looking into each room. They both opened their mouths to speak but didn't get the chance as Lux clamped her hands over them. "Let me rephrase that, decide between you without shouting, fighting, swearing, name calling or any other form of violence or insults who gets which room." She said, removing her hands from over their mouths only after they nodded. "I want that one." They both shouted pointing to the same room. Lux sighed. "Ok then I'll have that one." They both shouted again pointing at the other room. Lux sighed again while shaking her head. "How about this, I'm thinking of a number. Whoever can guess the right number gets to have whichever room they want." She said. Ed and Al nodded. Lux smiled, "Ok I got a number." She said. Ed screwed his face up in concentration. Al bit his lip gently while thinking. "I'll give you three clues and each three guesses. If neither of you can guess after that then I pick who gets what room." Lux said, still focusing on her number.

"Sounds fair." Ed said. Al nodded in agreement.

"Ok, your first clue is. It's not a minus number." Lux said, smirking. Al resumed biting his lip.

"That's a shit clue!" Ed said, "It doesn't narrow it down by much."

"Language, Edward." Lux warned. Ed rolled his eyes.

"Actually, brother, it's a very helpful clue as it cuts the possibilities in half." Al said. Ed rolled his eyes again. "Still got like a gazillion more numbers left that it could be." He said. Al nodded.

"Next clue is that it's an even number." Lux said, smirking still.

"Again with the sh- rubbish clues!" Ed shouted. Lux smiled.

"Brother, again it cuts the potential answers in half." Al said. Lux smiled more while nodding. Ed started pacing. "Ok then so it's a positive even number. Last clue?" he said.

"Life is full of this number. It is a very important thing in life this number. For example without this number of people times by itself none of us would be here in this house." Lux said, her smirk returning. Al pondered this, chewing on his lip in the process. Ed's brow creased in concentration as he walked back and forth, his shoe's making a thumb sound when hitting the wooden floor. Seven minutes later he suddenly stopped pacing and looked at Lux. "I got it; I know what number you're thinking of!" He exclaimed. Lux smiled.

"And that number is?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Al looked at his brother, tilting his head to the side. "The number is two." Ed said, grinning. A look of confusion appeared on Al's face.

"Two? How'd you work that out, brother?" he questioned.

"Easily, Al, if it wasn't for two sets of two people we wouldn't be alive." Ed said, looking at his little brother. "Oh. You mean our parents?" Al said. Lux nodded.

"It takes two people to make life." She said. Ed nodded. Al looked slightly shocked.

"Was tha talk then?" He asked. Lux shook her head.

"No, that talk comes hopefully never. That was a logical talk with hints at reproduction." She said. "With hints at reproduction… then it wa talk!" Ed said, whispering the first bit then shouting the last. Lux facepalmed. "No, Edward, it was not. If I was ever planning on talking about that it would not be stood in the middle of the landing and most defiantly not when you two are just little kids" she said.

"How old are you, Lux?" Alphonse asked.

"I'm fifteen." She replied. Al nodded. Lux ruffled his hair.

"Why don't you two go look around your new rooms while I go get dinner started?" She said, "Oh and this room's mine." She pointed to the room opposite theirs. Both boys nodded before turning and running into their rooms. Lux smiled and headed down stairs. She started cooking, glad she'd gone shopping the night before. After a few minutes the two boys raced down the stairs and into the kitchen. They skidded to a halt in the doorway. Lux had used her ribbon to tie her hair into a high piny tail. As she cooked her hair swayed with her movements, always coming to rest against her back afterwards. She turned and smiled at them once she registered their presence. "Hi boys." She said. She'd tied an apron over her school uniform to keep it clean while she prepared the meal. "Can we help?" The boys said in chorus. Lux nodded.

"Of course, if you could please set the table that would be very helpful." She said. The boys hurriedly got the cutlery and started to lay the table. Lux watched them for a few seconds before turning around and putting the food in the oven. She set the timer before turning to face the two boys just as they finished setting the table. "There done." Ed said, stepping back to admire their handy work. Lux chuckled. "While dinner cooks why don't we get you two washed and into some clean pyjamas." She said walking out of the room. The boys nodded and followed, walking into her when she stopped in the middle of the hallway. "Lux?" Al asked, looking up at her with a worried expression. Ed looked around the entry panickingly. "Shit! The boxes are in the bot of Mustang's car!" Lux said in an almost whiny tone. Both boys relaxed. At that moment the doorbell rang. Three heads turned to look at the door. Lux walked over to it; hesitantly she pulled the handle down and opened it. A huge smile lit up her face. "Mustang!" she exclaimed, opening the door fully, "Thank goodness." Mustang smirked. "I got home then remembered your boxes and brought them straight here, thought you might need them." He said, gesturing to the boxes behind him. Lux nodded the smile still on her face. "Thank you, I do need them. Can you help me bring them inside, please." She said, stepping out of the way. Picking up the boxes he nodded, "Of course." The boxes where carried into the house and placed in the lounge. Ed and Al stayed out of the way while the Colonel brought the boxes in. "Have a seat Colonel." Lux said, gesturing to the couch. Upon receiving a confused look from the man she added, "You should stay for dinner, it's the least I could do as thanks for all the help you gave me and the boys today." The Colonel smiled.

"Thank you for the offer, Lux, but I couldn't." He said, going to leave. To stop him the boys stood in the door way. "She asked you to stay for dinner as a way of saying thanks, so stay." Ed said, frowning. Lux shot him a warning glance. "What Edward means is we have enough food and it's late so you should stay." She said. Faced with three people determined to make him stay Mustang sighed, "Sure, I'll join you for dinner." He said. The brothers exchanged a look of victory before it dawned on Ed who he had helped pursued to stay for a meal. "Wait!" He shouted, "Why does it have to be him!" Al and Mustang both started laughing.

"Edward." Lux said in a warning tone. Said boy looked at his feet. Lux's eyes softened, she walked over and lifter Ed into her arms. "C'mon, let's get you two cleaned up." She said, carrying Ed over to the boxes. Both boys immediately shifted through the clothes box, looking for pyjamas they liked, Ed still in Lux's arms. Mustang sat on the couch and watched them, a small smile on his lips. After the boys found what they wanted Lux headed upstairs, Al beside her and Ed in her arms. "Who wants to bath first?" She asked.

"Al can." Ed said, shifting slightly in Lux's arms. With a nod of her head she stopped outside the bathroom and set him down. "Ok, while I get him sorted can you go get some bedding from the cupboard, then we'll make your beds." She said, laying a hand on his head. He nodded and raced off to do as he was told, leaving a smiling Lux in his wake. Walking into the bathroom she turned the light on and walked over to the bathtub. Al watched from the doorway as she filled the bath with warm water and bubbles. "Come see if this is ok." She said. Al walked over and dipped his hand in. When he nodded Lux turned the taps off and stood up. "You ok on your own?" she asked. He gave a slight nod of his head. Ignoring the nod Lux lifted his T-shirt over his head. Then she removed his shoes and socks. A warm blush spread over Al's cheeks as she proceeded to take his jeans off. Noticing the blush she closed her eyes, leaving him to remove his boxers himself. His hands on her shoulders told her he was ready to be lifted into the bath, which she did. "Now don't forget to wash behind your ears." She said, getting towels for him and leaving them with his clothes. "Call me once you're finished, and I'll check to see if your hairs done." She added. When he nodded she left, going into Ed's room. Said boy was lying on the floor tangled up in the bedding. Lux raised a questioning eyebrow before going over and helping the small boy get free. "Why don't I do that, you put the pillows in their cases." She said, walking over to the bed. By the time they'd finished making Ed's bed, gotten blankets on it and put some clothes in the wardrobe Al was calling for Lux. Leaving Ed in his room she went to sort the younger boy out. After checking to see if his hair was done, which it was, she lifted him out and wrapped him in a towel. Sitting on the closed toilet she dried him off before carrying him and his clothes to his room, placing him on the floor she left him to get dressed. She went next door and collected Ed, carrying him into the bathroom. After refilling the tub with clean water and bubbles she undressed him until he was in just his boxers then closed her eyes leaving him to take them off, when he placed his hands on her shoulders she lifted him into the water. She got him towels before going into Al's room. Said boy was sat cross-legged on the bed in black footie pyjamas with red stars; his head was turned towards the window. With a smile on her face Lux helped him make the bed and put some clothes in his wardrobe. "Why don't you go and keep Mustang company while I wait for your brother to be finished." She said. Al nodded and ran down the stairs to find Mustang sat looking through the boxes, he smiled and joined him. Lux knocked on the door of the bathroom. "Ed, ya ready yet?" she asked through the door. A chuckle escaped her as she heard a series of splashes and giggles. "I think so." Came Ed's giggle filled voice. She opened the door and walked in. "Ed, did you even get any water on your hair?" She asked running a hand through the practically dry blond locks. "Yeah…" Ed said, more focused on the bubbles then Lux. A few laughs escaped Lux as she knelt beside the tub; she picked up a jug and filled it with water. Pouring the water over Ed's hair she reached for the shampoo. She rubbed it in making sure that it didn't go in his eyes. "Ok, close your eyes." She directed, to which Ed complied. She refilled the jug and poured the water over Ed's hair, using her free hand to make sure the shampoo was gone. She repeated the process of pouring water over his hair until it was clean. "There all clean." She said with a smile, standing up. Ed was lifted out of the water and wrapped in a towel. Lux set him down and dried his hair before sending him to his room to change. After he left the room Lux emptied the dirty bathwater, cleaned the bath and tidied up the side before gathering up the boys dirty clothes and going to fetch Al's towel. When Ed was finished getting dressed into red footie pyjamas he carried his towel out of his room. Lux lead him to the dirty clothes hamper where they put the two sets of clothes and towels. A smile spread on Lux's face when she felt Ed grab her hand. They walked down stairs hand in hand, Ed giggling every time Lux would hold both his hands and lift him off the floor. Entering the lounge they found Mustang and Al sorting through the boxes and piling things up. Lux raised a questioning eyebrow. "We were sorting them into piles of children books, help guilds, toys, clothes Ed wouldn't mind, clothes Ed would hate and random items." Mustang explained, standing up. Lux nodded before releasing Ed's hand and heading for the kitchen to check on dinner. A warm smile graced her lips as Lux heard Mustang tell the boys to finish sorting through the boxes. The footsteps heading towards the kitchen told her the Colonel was walking her way. Opening the oven she saw it was cooked, putting on oven gloves Lux took the dish out and set it on the side. Plates were placed on the side next to her; from the corner of her eye she saw Mustang's smiling face. With a roll of her eyes Lux dished up the meal. Two sets of footsteps raced towards them before two small sets of arms latched around Lux's waist. "What are we having?" Ed asked, standing on tip toes to try and see over the side to no avail. Lux couldn't help but laugh. "We're having homemade pizza." She said lifting Ed into her arms so he could see.

"Wow, it looks yummy!" Ed exclaimed excitedly. Both Lux and Mustang laughed at this.

"Glad you think so." Lux said, placing Ed in a seat at the table before lifting up Al so he could see the pizza. "Brother was right!" Al shouted earning more laughs from Mustang and Lux. Lux placed Al in a seat next to Ed before turning to face the pizza. Taking out a pizza cutter she began to serve it. "Colonel, take a seat." She said, putting the food onto plates. Mustang nodded before sitting next to Al. "Please call me either Roy or Mustang, Colonel is too formal." He said with a charming smile. A thump was heard followed by a small yelp from Mustang. "Edward, don't kick the guest." Lux said without turning around. "Fine." Ed grumbled. Mustang scowled at the young blond while rubbing his shin. Lux set the plates on the table before getting four cup out of the cupboard. "Boys don't eat till everyone is ready." She said before opening the fridge. Two 'hmphs' were heard from the young blonds. "What would you like to drink, Mustang?" Lux asked, ignoring the boys pouting.

"Anything would be fine." Mustang replied. Lux nodded before pulling out the orange juice.

"Al? Ed?" She asked, glancing over at them as she poured the Colonel a glass of orange juice and passed it to him. "Milk please." Al replied.

"Anything but that icky white substance segregated from a cow." Ed said frowning at the milk Lux was pouring for Al. Everyone but Ed laughed at his answer. "How does orange juice sound?" Lux asked over her shoulder as she put the milk away. "Sounds ok." Ed replied. Lux nodded as she poured two more glasses of orange juice then put it away. She passed the boys their drinks then sat down with hers. "There now we can eat." She said. As soon as the words were out of her mouth the boys were shovelling down their food at an alarming rate. Mustang laughed at them before starting his own food. Lux smiled as she ate. For a few minutes they ate in silence. Until Ed attempted at talking, "Cfs whe wenchi e mobi dafur swhe'er fon?" he asked through a mouthful of food.

"Swallow then talk." Lux scolded. Ed swallowed. "Now what were you trying to say?" She asked.

"Can we watch a movie when we're done?" he repeated, this time comprehensibly. Al looked eagerly at Lux. After a few seconds of thought Lux nodded. "Sure why not, but it's bed time straight after that ok boys?" she said. Both blonds nodded. After everyone was finished Lux washed up while Ed and Al argue over who got to pick the film. Mustang picked up a towel and started to dry up the now clean items. "Both pick a film and we'll vote on which one we watch." Lux shouted over her shoulder. Receiving two shouts of 'Ok' in reply. Once they're finished washing and drying up Lux and Mustang went into the lounge, Lux making a detour to get some blankets. Both boys were sat in front of the TV with a DVD in their hands. Mustang was sat at one end of the couch, leaving enough room for Lux and the boys. Tossing the blankets at him Lux went to see what DVDs the boys had picked. Mustang frowned when the blankets hit the side of his head. Lux chuckled kneeling down beside the boys. "So what ya got?" She asked, taking the DVDs from their hands. Ed had picked Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone and Al had picked Brother Bear. "Mustang which one?" she asked holding them up to him. He looked at them closely while thinking. "I'd say Brother Bear, seeing as we don't know what scares them and they're going to bed after. I highly doubt you'd want to be up late because of nightmares. Plus I've seen that film before." He said. Lux nodded, placing Harry Potter back on the shelf and putting Brother Bear in the DVD player. Ed pouted, refusing to move from in front of the TV. "He only said that to be mean." He whined. Lux picked him up and carried him over to the couch. "Cheer up, Ed, we'll watch Harry Potter this week-end with Zahra and Kaleb after shopping ok?" she said, sitting Ed next to Al who was next to Mustang. Ed nodded, still pouting. Lux sat beside him and put the blankets over the boys. "We're going shopping this week-end?" Al asked, leaning forward to look at Lux. "Yeah. I thought I'd get you some more clothes, books, DVDs, other kid's things and something to decorate your rooms with." Lux replied.

"Wait you mean we get to decorate our rooms?" Ed asked excitedly, the pout disappearing from his face. Lux nodded. "Of course, they are your rooms after all." She said with a smile. Both boys' faces lit up in huge grins, their minds already running over the possibilities. Lux chuckled before hitting the play button. As the film started the boys settled down, snuggling up to each other and Lux and Mustang. Lux smiled making sure the blanket covered them. Mustang lent against the armrest, one side of his mouth curled upwards as he watched Lux and the boys out of the corner of his eye. The boys would gasp and flinch every now and then but also giggle and smile. Then it came to the scene that had always made Lux sad as a child, Kenai's confession. As the scene took place Lux watched the boys, gauging there expressions. Both boys sat still their eyes glued to the screen. When Koda ran off crying tears started to run down both boys' faces. Acting on instinct Lux pulled the boys into her arms, gently running her fingers through their hair. "It's ok, boys, it's ok." She said, trying to calm them. Their body's shook slightly as they silent cried, watching the film through blurry eyes. Lux didn't stop running her fingers through their hair. Mustang had turned his attention away from the film and was watching Lux trying to calm the boys. Even after the film was over Lux didn't let the boys go, they shifted in her arms to wrap their arms around her. She could feel their tears. "Shhh, it's ok, everything's ok. They made up and lived happily, everything's ok." She said soothingly. As their tears stopped both boys closed their eyes and their bodies became slightly heavier. Lux shifted so they could see the boys' faces. Mustang used his sleeve to wipe away their tears before pulling Al into his arms. "Let's put them to bed." He said, standing up. Lux nodded and stood up with Ed in her arms. She led Mustang upstairs and to the boys' rooms, she pointed to Al's. With a nod of his head Mustang went in and placed Al on the bed, making sure to tuck him in. Lux did the same in Ed's room. Before she left she kissed his forehead then went next door and kissed Al's forehead. Her and Mustang walked downstairs. "Well I best be leaving." Mustang said walking over to the door. Lux nodded and followed him. "Thank you for the meal, it was lovely." He said, opening the door and stepping into the cold night's air. Lux smiled. "No need to thank me, Mustang, it was my way of thanking you for helping me so much today." She said, "I'm glad you liked the food." Mustang held out his hand, Lux shook it. "See you around kid; take care of yourself and those boys." Mustang said with a smug grin. "Will do, Colonel, will do." She said. She watched him drive away safely before closing and locking the door. She turned the TV and DVD player off before putting the blankets away. As she left the room and headed upstairs she turned off the lights. She checked on the boys before heading to her own room. She changed out of her school clothes and into a plain white nightdress, pulling the ribbon out of her hair and letting it fall freely against her back. She took the chocker off before climbing into bed. She rolled onto her side, closed her eyes and snuggled into the bed sheets. A smile was on her face as she drifted off to sleep thinking about how much her life had changed in one day.

A/N: I know they didn't have DVDs but it's important in mine that they do, you'll see why later. Oh and if anyone ever seem out of character please tell me.


	7. All is One, One is All

Chapter seven – All is One, One is All

The next morning Lux was woken by two small blonds running in and jumping on her. "Five more minutes." She muttered pulling the sheets over her head. She heard the boys whisper and giggle to each other before they gripped the sheets and pulled them off Lux. Before Lux had a chance to react the boys were tickling her. She laughed and squirmed. In between laughs she managed to grab their hands in hers. "Since when are little boys early risers?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Ed, who was luckily to giggly to notice the 'L' word being used, said "since we're hungry and get to go to school today!" Lux groaned confusing both boys.

"Don't you like school?" Al asked.

"Schools ok, teachers an ass but that can't be helped." She said. The boys exchanged a glance.

"Then why are you so unhappy to be going if that's the only thing that's bad?" Ed asked.

"I have to go to work after school. That reminds me; you'll have to come with me." She said.

"Work?" Al said. Lux sat up and nodded.

"Yeah, I have a job at my friend's automail shop. Zahra and Kaleb do too, not that they need the money." She said. She climbed off the bed and gathered her clothes in her arms. "Now out. Go get ready." She said. Both boys nodded and jumped off the bed, they left the room to get ready. Lux got ready and headed down the stairs to start on breakfast. She finished just as the boys came running into the kitchen. They set the table and sat down. Lux smiled as she dished up the pancakes and passed them to the boys before getting them drinks. She passed Al some milk and Ed some orange juice before taking her own seat at the table with a glass of milk. They ate in silence with the boys stuffing the food into their mouths like it was their first meal in a long time. This made Lux laugh. After they had washed up after eating Lux noticed that the boys had food covering their mouths and wiped it off. "Now go do your teeth." She said, heading up stairs to do her own in her en suite bathroom. They met up at the bottom of the stairs to put their shoes on before leaving. Lux had packed some drawing books into her bag for the boys. They left the house and Lux locked the door before they set off. The boys would run a head then stop and wait for Lux before racing off again. They did this almost the whole way to school, never seeming to loss any energy. They walked into the classroom and were immediately surrounded by girls. "They're so cute!" They all screamed. Rolling her eyes Lux pushed through the crowd, the boys sticking close to her. The teacher walked in a few minutes later and instructed them to all sit down. Lux took her seat, the boys standing awkwardly beside her. Zahra, who sat behind Lux, and Kaleb, who sat beside Lux, exchanged a nervous look. The teacher's eyes narrowed when he saw the boys. "Both of you go sit at the back and stay silent, if I even notice your presence you won't be coming back, got that?" he said. Both boys nodded, collected the drawing books from Lux and ran to the back of the room. Once everyone was settled the class started. "Ok class, I hope you've all done you've homework. Now who can tell me what 'All is One, One is All' means?" The teacher asked, "Write the answer on this bit of paper with your name." He walked around and handed them all a small scrap of paper. "If you get this wrong, I will not teach you the advance things. So far you have studied basic science and the basic idea behind alchemy while doing physical work to train the body. This is the test to see if you have what it takes to learn this ancient art that is known as alchemy." The teacher said. Lux had already written down her answer by this point and was staring out the window. The teacher narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything. After a few minutes he collected in the scraps and looked through them. "Rubbish, wrong, dreadful, pathetic, incorrect, terrible, inaccurate, appalling and complete bullshit." He said, slamming the papers onto his desk. "Most of these answers are alright at best." He said, not noticing two young blonds sneak round and take the papers from his desk. They looked through them frowns forming on their small features. "What planet are you from, Sir Bastard!" Ed shouted, the papers clutched in his hand. "Lots of these answers are correct; I'd say about 80% of them." Al added. The teacher narrowed his eyes. "That's still 20% I am not willing to teach, and how in the hell do you two brats know what is right." He said. Ed smirked.

"Easy." He said. Every eye in the room was on him, waiting for him to continue.

"We had a teacher. First thing she taught us was 'All is One, One is All'." Al said.

"Though her technique was different to how you teach it." Ed added. Al nodded in agreement.

"And how is it that she taught you this concept, boys?" the teacher asked.

"She left us on a desert island for a month." They both said as if that sort of thing happened every day. A shocked murmur ran through the class until the teachers glare silenced them all. "And after this month on the island what was the answer you came up with?" the teacher asked, sounding sceptical. Both boys grinned. "The world is the all." Al said.

"And I am the one." Ed added. A confused murmur ran through the class at this point as the students tried to figure out the boys meaning, most of them not understanding their answer. Seeing this Ed continued, "We are just a small part in something bigger, when we die the world will go on. Life and death come hand in hand." Al nodded. The teacher thought for a few seconds.

"What else did this teacher teach you?" He asked.

"That to sharpen the mind you must train the body first." Al said. Ed nodded. They both grimaced obviously remember that part of the learning all too well. "I would love to meet your teacher; she seems like a very bright woman." Sir said. Ed muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "Trust me, you don't wanna meet her."

"Young man, what was the name of your teacher and where does she live?" Sir asked.

"She lives in Dublith." Al said.

"And her name is Izumi Curtis." Ed said. Lux, who had been doodling in her book, looked up quickly.

"Boys did you say Izumi Curtis?" she asked, standing up. Both boys nodded.

"And that island she left you on, was it Yock Island?" she asked. The both nodded again. A smile spread on Lux's face. "You know this Izumi Curtis?" Sir asked. Lux nodded.

"Yeah she is a… old family friend, she taught me the basics of alchemy in the same way she taught the boys." Lux said, her hand immediately moved to rest on the small leather note book on her desk. Her fingers traced the Flamel's cross absentmindedly. "That's so cool! I didn't know she had a student before us. She didn't seem to want to take on students." Ed said.

"Yeah that sounds like Izumi, she didn't want to teach me… Until she found out who I was…" Lux said, her mind focused on the past rather than the present. "Lux?" Ed said, moving closer to Lux. Lux snapped out of her daze and looked down at him. "Mmm?" she said.

"You ok?" He asked, sounding worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine… just remembering… that's all." She said.

"Remembering what?" Al asked.

"That's enough boys." A stern voice said from the doorway. Every head snapped round to look at the door. "Teacher…" The boys said at the same time. Izumi Curtis stood in the door way, her eyes narrowed slightly. "Hello boys." She said.

"You're Izumi Curtis?" Sir asked. Izumi turned her sharp gaze on him.

"Yes that is who I am." She said before turning her focus back onto the boys. "Now tell me, boys, why are you so far from Resembool?" she asked, her hands on her hips. Both boys looked panicked.

"Um… we… um…" Al said, stumbling over his words.

"What Al means is… Er…" Ed said, looking anywhere but at Izumi.

"SPIT IT OUT!" She shouted. Lux looked up from the place on the floor she'd been starring at.

"You two are from Resembool?" she asked. They nodded. Kaleb and Zahra looked at each other than back at Lux and the boys. "And you came to Central all by yourselves?" Lux asked. They both nodded again. "You both could have been hurt! You idiots!" She shouted.

"Boys, why is it you left your home town?" Izumi asked, glaring at them sternly.

"We had nowhere else to go. After our training was finished. There was no one left at home. We had to!" Al said, trying to keep the emotion from his voice. Both Izumi and Lux's firm expressions softened. Lux knelt down and pulled the brothers into a tight hug. "Sir, where's Resembool?" A girl in the class asked. Lux pulled away from the boys slightly but stayed kneeling on the floor. "Resembool is a rural town in the south-eastern region." She said, "They have lots of farms, and the wool from there is used for the military uniforms. Every year they hold a sheep festival to celebrate the start of spring."

"How do you know that?" a guy asked.

"I grew up there. I moved to Central with my parents when I was six." Lux answered, "My boss and childhood friend also grew up there and moved here three years before I did."

"You're from Resembool so cool!" Ed exclaimed, smiling. Lux laughed and laid a hand on Ed's head.

"It's a long way for two kids to go all on their own, you two are very lucky." She said.

"Like Al said, we had no choice but to travel here all on our own." Ed said defensively.

"I still don't understand why you needed to leave Resembool; the people there are very kind and would have looked after you two." Lux said.

"We were looking for our father…" Al said quietly.

"Oh…" Lux said.

"Last we heard the Bastard was in Central." Ed said, frowning.

"Language, Edward." Lux scolded. Said blond rolled his eyes. Lux chuckled and ruffled his hair before standing up. "Mrs Curtis, if you don't mind my asking, why is it you are here in my class room." Sir asked. Izumi glared at him. "I came here because I heard two young blond idiots were being looked after by a young alchemy prodigy in Central. As soon as I heard the prodigy beat a dog of the military using blue roses I knew it was Lux." She said. Lux shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"How did you know it was Lux?" Kaleb asked, standing up. He took a step back when Izumi glared his way. "The first thing Lux did with her alchemy was create a blue rose. Something no other alchemist has done. Blue roses are hard to cultivate normally, but using alchemy it is even harder." Izumi said. This made Lux blush softly. "It's not that difficult." She muttered.

"Wow!" the brothers shouted.

"So cool!" Ed exclaimed, hugging Lux.

"Amazing!" Al shouted, also hugging her. Lux hugged them back.

"That still doesn't explain why you are here." Sir said. Izumi made a sound that could only be described as a growl. "I am here to make sure she can look after them and herself properly!" Izumi shouted. "Don't worry, Izumi, I can handle looking after two kids." Lux said, not fazed by Izumi's rage. "You may think that now, but trust me these boys are trouble in a human form." Izumi said her voice full of more caring then it had been previously. Ed and Al pouted at this comment. "That maybe so, Izumi, but still I'm determined to look after them. I know I can do it." Lux said, her eyes flashed with determination. Izumi studied her for a few minutes. "My brother raised a wonderful daughter." She said softly. Lux smiled and nodded. "I know he'd be proud of you." Izumi said pulling her niece onto a hug. Lux nodded again, wrapping her arms around her aunt. "Wait you're related!" Ed shouted. Lux pulled away from Izumi and nodded. "Last time I checked her being my aunt meant we were related, yeah." She said. Kaleb noticed the tattoo on the left side of Izumi's collar bone and recognised it from the front of Lux's note books. "What does that symbol mean?" he said pointing to it. Lux smiled. "That's the Flamel's cross." She said.

"Such a helpful answer, Lux," Kaleb said sarcastically.

"Well how would you like me to answer?" Lux asked.

"I don't know, maybe with what it means." Kaleb replied.

"In alchemy it represents 'fixing of the volatile'" She replied.

"Ok... so why does she have a tattoo of it while you have it embroidered on your note book?" Kaleb asked.

"It's been in the family for a long time now. It's my ancestors' symbol." Lux replied.

"Wait that means you're a decedent of Nicolas Flamel." Sir said. Lux nodded.

"No wonder you're so good at alchemy." Zahra said.

"Wait who is this Flamel person?" Kaleb asked.

"You idiot, Nicolas Flamel was the first person to create a philosophers' stone." Sir said.

"Philosophers' stone?" Kaleb said his brow creased in confusion.

"That's just a myth, a story told to little children." Ed said, "It's not real."

"Oh yes we must all listen to the little brat, he's a master alchemist after all." Sir said.

"WHO YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE DOESN'T NEED TO BREATH BECAUSE THE OXYGEN MOLECULES ARE BIGGER THEN HIM!" Ed shouted.

"Calm down brother, no one said that." Al said.

"Hush now boys." Lux said, laying a hand on each boys head. Izumi smiled at the sight.

"Well I should get going. Sig must be deathly worried about me. I'll be in Central for a few weeks so if you need anything just come and ask, ok Lux?" Izumi said. Lux nodded.

"Ok." She said. Izumi hugged Lux, then the boys before turning and leaving. The boys and Lux waved at her retreating back. "Well let's get back to the lesson now shall we, take your seats." Sir said. Everyone did as they were told and sat back down. "Until I grade your answers to the question 'All is One, One is All' to see who is worth my time to teach, we will learn the basic rules of alchemy. So who can tell me the three stages of Alchemy?" Sir said. A few people put their hands up. Sir pointed to Lux. "Easy sir. Comprehension, deconstruction then reconstruction." She said. Sir nodded.

"Can anyone advance on that?" he asked. Fewer hands then last time went up. Sir pointed to Zahra.

"Comprehension is the understanding of the structure and properties of the atomic or molecular makeup of a particular material that is to be transmuted; this includes the flow and balance of the potential and kinetic energy within." She said.

Kaleb added "Deconstruction is using this energy to break down the physical structure of the identified material into a more flexible state, so it can easily be reshaped into a new form."

"Then reconstruction is continuing the flow of energy so as to reform the material into a new shape." Lux finished. The teacher nodded.

"Very well done you three." He praised. They exchanged a please smile. "Ok who can tell me what Equivalent Exchange is." The teacher said. A few hands shot into the air. Noticing that both boys had put their hands up to every question Sir pointed to Al. "You, boy." He said.

"Alphonse." Al said.

"Not the answer I wanted." The teacher replied.

"I know it isn't, it's my name." Al said.

"I don't care, now what's the answer." Sir said.

"Human kind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain something of equal value must be lost. This is Alchemy's first law, Equivalent Exchange." Al recited. Sir nodded.

"Very good. Now who can tell me the two parts of it?" he asked. Some hands went up. Sir pointed to Kaleb. "The first part is the Law of Conservation Mass. This states that energy and matter can neither be made from nothing nor destroyed into elemental nothingness. For example if you wanted to make something that weighed 3 pounds at least 3 pounds of material is needed, and vice versa for destroying it, you'd be left with three pounds worth of parts." Kaleb said.

"The second is the Law of Natural Providence. This states that an object or material made of a particular substance or element can only be transmuted into another object with the same basic makeup and properties of that initial material. In other words something made of mostly water can only be transmuted into another object with the attributes of water." Zahra added.

"But if you try to bypass these laws by making something out of too little it will result in a rebound, which is where the alchemical forces that are thrown out of balance on either side of the equation fluctuate wildly of their own accord in order to stabilize themselves. Taking or giving more than was intended in often unpredictable and catastrophic ways such as accidental mutation, serious injury or death." Lux added a serious look on her face.

"Well done, my students." The teacher said, "Now I trust you all know what Transmutation circles and arrays are?" Everyone in the room nodded. "Good. Now who can tell me the difference in them?" He continued. Ed was the first to put his hand up. The teacher nodded to him.

"In an array the runes aren't confined to the circumference of the circle and may use the circle as only a small part of their function." Ed said. The teacher nodded.

"Who knows the greatest taboo in alchemy?" Sir asked. Many people looked at each other before a few raised their hands. Sir pointed to Kaleb. "Is it not to create gold from lead?" he said.

"Not quiet, though that is against the law." Sir replied.

"It's human transmutation." Lux said stiffly. The teacher nodded.

"Very good. Now what is human transmutation?" Sir said.

"Human transmutation is most commonly seen in the form of resurrecting the dead. But can also be creating human life, or a Homunculus, which is like a living doll with a human soul bound to it. No human transmutation has been successful though. The rebound for stepping into God's domain is very server. From what I know those who try human transmutation have had a body part taken in exchange for the knowledge from inside the Gate of Truth." Lux said in a monotone, her eyes unfocusedly starred at her desk. "Extremely good." Sir said, inclining his head towards her. The bell rang signalling the end of the first lesson. The rest of the day proceeded slowly. Lux's mind was elsewhere during her other classes so she didn't make notes like told to on alchemic symbols, she didn't practice basic transmutation circles or arrays and didn't focus during the sparring sessions leading to Zahra beating her nearly every time. Ed pulling on her bag strap as they left the school building brought her senses back. She looked down at him, noticing his slightly irritated look at the fact she hadn't been listening to him. "You weren't listening." He said pouting.

"Sorry Edward, I've been distracted all day." She said, laying a hand on his head causing him to giggle. Kaleb and Zahra, who were walking with them to their after school job, both smiled. "What are you planning on doing with them while we work?" Zahra asked. Lux looked at her.

"That is a very good question." She replied.

"You could always ask Win to give them something to do." Kaleb suggested. Lux watched Ed and Al chase each other around just a head of them. "You know how she gets around her automail, she barely trusts me to deal with any of it and I've known her since we were little, she only gave you two jobs cause I begged her too… which reminds me, why the heck do you two need jobs? Both of your parents are loaded." She said, not taking her eyes off the two blonds.

"My parents kept moaning that I didn't do enough around the house and that I had to earn the money I spend." Kaleb said with a shrug.

"My parents said I needed experience of the 'real world'." Zahra said. Lux nodded as they turned a corner and headed up the hill towards the automail shop. "But what made you both get a job here?" she asked, gesturing to the building at the top of the hill. "My brother was a surgeon and he taught me the basics." Kaleb said, "Plus if I'm an automail surgeon I still make mommy and daddy proud but don't have the risk of going to war and getting blown up."

"They miss your brother don't they?" Lux asked. Kaleb nodded and gave her a look that said it was the end of the conversation. "What about you Zahra?" Lux asked, turning to her other friend.

"Well both of you got jobs here and if you can live off the pay it must be pretty good." Zahra said with a smile. This caused Lux to laugh. "Of course you were thinking of the money." She said.

"You might want to ask for a raise, Lux." Kaleb said, glancing at the two boys racing ahead.

"Na, I'm sure I can afford to look after them and myself on my current pay." She said.

"You just don't want to ask for more money do you?" Zahra said, knowing her friend all to well. Lux smiled and nodded. "That obvious huh?" she said.

"Lux, we've known you since you moved here. You could lie about murder and we'd know." Kaleb said. They laughed as they reached the top of the hill. Ed and Al ran over to Lux and each grabbed one of her hands. Lux gave them an encouraging smile while Kaleb opened the door. "Hey Winry, Old lady, we're here." He called inside, Zahra right behind him. Lux led the boys inside, who both immediately started looking around. They'd come in the workshop entrance so the room was full of automail parts and tools. A girl the same age as Lux, Kaleb and Zahra came running down the stairs in an apron, a wrench in her hand and her long blonde hair tied into a high pony tail. "Hi guys." She said with a smile.

"Hey." Zahra said.

"Good afternoon, Win." Kaleb said.

"Hiya, Winry." Lux said. Both Ed and Al hid behind Lux. Lux looked down and smiled at them. "Don't be afraid guys, this is Winry Rockbell. A childhood friend of mine and a total gearhead." She said.

"Well you're a bunch of alchemy freaks." Winry retorted. At this both boys burst into a fit of giggles causing the rest of the group to smile down at them. When the giggles had subsided Lux knelt down to the boys' height. "Why don't you introduce yourselves." She said. Al nodded.

"I'm Alphonse." He said.

"Edward." Ed said pointing to himself. Winry smiled warmly at them.

"It's nice to meet you boys." She said.

"They're staying with me for a while. They have no family." Lux explained, standing up straight.

"Sounds like someone else we know." Came a voice from the doorway that lead to the kitchen. All heads turned in that direction. A short old woman was stood there with a smoking pipe in her hand. "Hey, Pinako." Zahra said waving.

"Hi, old lady." Kaleb said with a cheeky grin.

"Hiya, Granny, and who would that be?" Lux asked, smiling softly. Pinako smiled back at her.

"A certain young alchemist who seems to always get herself into trouble." Pinako said. Lux gave a quiet chuckle. "From what I remember said alchemist always managed to get herself out of trouble too." She said.

"Only 'cause her friends are there to save her ass every time." Kaleb said.

"More like she saves their asses after they do something incredibly stupid." Lux responded.

"They wouldn't have to do stupid things to save her if she didn't always run off and find trouble." Kaleb said. "She doesn't always run off and find trouble…. She runs off and trouble finds her." Lux replied. "Either way she gets into trouble that her amazing friends have to get her out of." Kaleb countered. Lux opened her mouth to respond but was stopped before the words could be formed by a wrench to the head. Kaleb laughed until the same wrench hit him on the head. "OW! WHAT THE HECK WINRY!" They both shouted.

"YOU WERE BOTH ACTING LIKE LITTLE KIDS!" Winry snapped back. Ed laughed before turning to Zahra. "Do they always get like this?" he asked. Zahra nodded.

"Pretty much, but it's always fun to watch…as long as you can dodge the flying wrenches and roses…" She said.

"Flying wrenches and roses?" Al asked. Zahra nodded just as a wrench went flying past.

"For a mechanic Winry has a good aim and a strong throw…" She explained.

"What about the roses?" Ed asked. Zahra pointed to Lux who had clapped her hands and placed them on the floor. When she stood up, and the blue electricity had subsided, a blue rose was in her hand with a sharpened stem. "That's enough." Pinako said, walking forward to stand between the three arguing teens. "What's Kaleb do when they fight like that?" Edward asked.

"Normally he's too busy dodging the others attacks to make one of his own but sometimes he'll use alchemy to make wires tie them up, but when he does that Pinako doesn't take it well as it ruins her floor." Zahra said.

"Doesn't making the roses ruin it too?" Al asked. Zahra nodded.

"Yeah but Pinako favours Lux as they're like family." She said smiling.

"Family…" Both boys whispered. They exchanged a look before running and tackling Lux. Lux caught them in her arms easily but tripped and landed on her butt on the floor. Everyone in the room was in a fit of laughter as the boys snuggled closer to Lux. "What's gotten into you two?" she said between laughs. The only answer she received was a shake of the head from both young blonds. She ran her fingers through their hair, smiling when they reacted by snuggling closer. After a few minutes the boys still hadn't let go of Lux. "C'mon guys, we can hug later. I have to work now." Lux said. The two blonds let her go reluctantly. Lux stood up and ruffled their hair. "Don't be sad boys. It's only for a few hours, then we can go home and watch a film together." She said. Ed looked up at her with a huge grin now plastered to his face. "Really?" he said excitedly. Lux nodded.

"Really." She promised. Both boys smiled happily up at her. She smiled happily back.

"So, old lady, what do we have to do today? Kaleb asked, receiving a whack to the head from the smoking pipe. "Zahra why don't you help Winry, Kaleb you can tidy up the basement, Lux why don't you work on the desk today." She said. Zahra nodded before grabbing an apron and following Winry upstairs to her privet workshop. Kaleb frowned and muttered angrily as he went down into the basement with a broom in his hand. Lux nodded and went to sit behind the register, waiting for any costumers to arrive. Ed and Al stood in the middle of the room awkwardly, not knowing what to do. "What about us, old lady?" Ed said, earning a warning glance from Lux and a whack to the head from Pinako. "Firstly respect your elders, shrimp, and secondly you two can go outside and do whatever you want, just no scaring away customers." Pinako said. Al nodded.

"HEY WHO YOU CALLING A SHRIMP YOUR NO TALLER THEN I AM!" Ed shouted.

"Edward, go play with your brother." Lux said sternly. Ed pouted but nodded as Alphonse grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the door. "Oh and boys don't go too far, stay close to the shop ok." Lux called as they left, her only response being a thumbs up from Ed. Lux slumped forward onto the front desk as Pinako left the room to go start on dinner. Closing her eyes Lux let out a soft sigh, this was going to be the longest work shift she'd ever had.


	8. Muddy

Chapter eight – Muddy

Working on the front desk had to be the most boring job in the whole place. Not that Lux was complaining. She would rather sit there then have to clean the basement or help Winry. She shuddered at the very thought of either of those options. Lux hated the basement what with all the spare automail limbs hanging around and cobwebs with disgusting spiders, both of those combined with the low lighting added up to a mega creepy effect and as for helping Winry, well Lux didn't want a wrench embedded in her skull because she touched something, like a screw, that Winry didn't want her to. Winry could be very touchy about her automail. They'd all learnt that the hard way the first day here. A smile spread on Lux's lips at the memory; Kaleb had been stuck with basement duty, like always, Zahra had been cleaning up the main part of the shop while Lux helped Winry draw up new designs. Kaleb had accidently broken a spare arm that was hanging in the basement which Winry had 'slaved over for three days straight just to get perfect' and that Kaleb had 'ruined it by being a complete and utter idiot' and that 'she had half a mind to shove the now ruined arm somewhere Kaleb would not want it'. Both Lux and Zahra had safely stayed out of it and left the poor boy to his doom, which had involved cleaning the house from top to bottom and many wrenches to the head. A sigh escaped Lux before she could stop it.

"Something wrong?" A voice said from the doorway making Lux jump. Turning she saw Pinako watching her while leaning against the doorframe slightly.

"Huh? Oh, nothing!" Lux said, waving her hands in front of her. Pinako raised an eyebrow.

"You know you can tell me anything, right? You're like family after all." The old woman said, walking into the room.

"I know that, Granny." Lux said smiling. Pinako walked over to the front desk, stopping next to Lux. "Then tell me what's on your mind." She said. Lux let out a small chuckle.

"Same old Granny." She said grinning softly.

"Who you calling old?" Pinako said, raising an eyebrow. Lux chuckled again. "So tell me, kid, what's bothering you?" The smile slipped from Lux's face and she looked at her hands that were knitted together on her lap.

"I don't know if I can look after them." She whispered. A hand rested on her shoulder, without looking up she knew it was Pinako's seeing as no one else was in the room.

"Knowing you not even that won't stop you trying. But if you ever need us, us Rockbell's will be here for you." Pinako said softly. Lux nodded before looking up and smiling.

"Thank you, Granny Pinako." She said.

"No need to thank me dear, I'm always happy to help you out. I let your friends have jobs here didn't I?" Pinako replied with a smile. Lux smiled in return.

"Only after we begged you to." She said in a joking tone.

"True, very true, now why don't you close up here while I go finish up dinner then you can call in your boys." Pinako said, turning and walking into the kitchen. Lux nodded even though no one saw it before standing up and sorting out the cash register, not that they had had costumer all day. After she was done she looked up to see the sky darkening, time had really slipped away from her, her gaze then shifted to the clock on the wall. 7:30. they weren't due to close till 10. Lux's brow creased into a frown, how odd. Shaking her head she decided to ignore the early shutting and get the boys in. Opening the door her ears were meet by the sound of giggles. A smile crept onto her face as she followed the sound. Ed and Al were both rolling around play fighting under a tree caked in mud and dirt, lux sighed for the third time that afternoon as she approached them.

"Boys." She called, not able to keep the smirk off her face. Two sets of eyes looked at her from two, very dirty, grinning faces.

"Hey, Lux, work finished already?" Al called back, untangling himself from his brother before standing up.

"Uh-huh." She said, stopping in front of them with her hands on her hips. "You two are filthy." She added. Ed rubbed the back of his head.

"Heh, yeah…" he said looking at the floor. Lux couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"C'mon, let's see if Pinako will be nice and let you borrow her bath." She said, holding out her hands for the boys. Al immediately took one hand in his smaller one; Ed hesitated before grabbing the other hand. They walked hand in hand back to the Rockbell house.

"Granny?" lux called as they entered.

"Yeah?" the old woman replied walking back into the room, an eyebrow raised as she noticed the two mud splattered young boys.

"Um… do you mind if they use your bath?" Lux said, giving Pinako a sheepish smile. Pinako nodded. "But on condition that they make sure they don't get mud or water everywhere." She said with a warning tone. Lux nodded.

"Thank you, I'll make sure of it." She said with a small bow.

"Dinner will be ready soon so they don't really have time for separate baths," Pinako said as she walked back into the kitchen, "And there are some clothes that might fit them in the attic." Lux nodded, forgetting that Pinako couldn't see it.

"C'mon boys, this way." She said, leading the boys upstairs and into the bathroom. She sorted the water so it was the right temperature before filling the bath with it.

"Wait the old hag said we wouldn't have time for separate baths does that mean we'll have to-" Ed said, earning a glare from Lux for his language.

"Yes, you'll have to share." Lux said, cutting him off. The look that crossed their faces was priceless, Lux couldn't help but smirk.

"But…" Ed stammered.

"You're both boys and brothers; surely it can't be that big of a deal." Lux said. The look they gave her clearly suggested they didn't agree.

"Oh come on, boys, you both let me help you last time you bathed but neither of you are willing to share a bath with your brother this time." She said, raising an eyebrow. The pouts that appeared on both boys faces were just adorable. Lux smirked, sensing that they're given in.

"Good boys." She said, lifting Ed's top over his head. She proceeded to do the same for Al. After she closed her eyes, as did the boys, and continued to strip them down. Next she gently, with her eyes still closed, lifted them into the bath.

"No splashing." She said sternly, leaving the room to get them towels and clean clothes. After getting said items she went and sat with her back to the bathroom door, waiting for the boys to call saying they were done. Another sigh escaped her as she waited, her eyes slowly closing.

"Lux, you ok?" Zahra's voice called from down the hall but getting closer. Lux nodded.

"Mmm." She replied, opening one eye. Zahra and Winry were walking towards her, obviously just having finished with their work.

"Why are you sitting on the floor?" Winry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The boys got covered in mud." Lux replied, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder and in the direction of the bathroom door.

"Ah." Zahra said with a nod. Winry smiled.

"Maybe next time you should give them some work to do." She said, "That way they won't get all dirty."

"Do you really trust them to help out here without breaking something? It would be like trusting two little versions of Kaleb's to carry a glass sculpture through a china shop without breaking anything." Lux said with a smirk.

"WHO YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT A SPECK OF DIRT IS BIGGER THAN HIM!" Came Ed's voice from through the door. The three girls burst into laughter.

"How did he hear that?" Zahra whispered. Lux shrugged with a huge smile.

"Back to your point, Lux, I'm sure we could find something for them to do, even if it was cleaning the shop or something." Winry said.

"If ya say so, but it's your shop's funeral." Lux replied with a casual shrug of her shoulders. With a roll of her blue eyes Winry left, her long blonde hair swaying with each step. Zahra laughed before following. Lux gave a soft sigh before shifting into a standing position where she was resting against the doorframe. Gently she knocked on the door.

"Done yet?" she called.

"Nearly, just helping brother with his hair." Al called back softly.

"Hey you're making it sound like I'm incompetent at doing my own hair!" Ed shouted.

"That's because you are, brother-" Al started to say but was interrupted by a punch from Ed, or so Lux guessed from the small yelp he gave.

"Edward, don't punch your brother." She called through to them.

"How did you know I punched him… not that I did." Ed called through the door.

"Easy, kid, I know you well enough by now to know that's how you'd react." Lux replied with a smirk. After a splash Lux heard Al shout "Brother!" in a shocked yet stern tone.

"What did he do, Al?" Lux called, her hand resting on the doorknob.

"He splashed the water to cover up his swearing." Al called back.

"You traitor, Al!" Ed shouted, though there wasn't a single hint of anger in his voice.

"Edward, no swearing and no splashing!" Lux said sternly through the door. She waited a few minutes before adding, "You done yet?"

"I think so." Al called back.

"Ok, I'm coming in." she said turning the doorknob.

"No wait! I can get out myself!" Ed shouted. His shout was followed by a series of splashes and then a loud thump.

"Brother!" Al shouted but got no reply.

"Al what happened?" Lux shouted, contemplating whether to walk in or not.

"He tried climbing out but fell." Al said his voice thick with concern for his brother.

"Al, stay in the tub." Lux ordered as she opened the door. Ed was laying on the floor covered in water, from the looks of it he'd tripped over the edge of the bath and hit his head on the side of the sink. Lux sighed, sinking to her knees beside him. Gently she lifted him up and wrapped a towel around him.

"Ed?" she said softly, brushing the golden hair out of his face. The small boy gave a low moan, his golden eyes opening a little.

"I feel like I was hit by a train and then three buses." He said quietly. A smile of relief appeared on Lux's face as she hugged him to herself.

"Be more careful, idiot." She said, kissing his temple. Ed pushed her away slightly with a small "Yuck." Causing both Al and Lux to laugh. Lux didn't stop smiling as she started to dry Ed off. After drying his hair she carefully examined his head, looking for any signs of major injury. A sigh of relief escaped her when she found nothing more than a bad bump.

"Never ever do that again, not until you're older." She said in a semi-stern voice, combing her fingers through his soft gold locks. A small nod was the only answer she received.

"Can you get dressed by yourself?" she asked softly. He gave another small nod. Lux gently helped him stand before she moved to lift Al out of the bath and warp him in a towel. She passed him some clothes then turned to look at Ed who was still stood where she had left him.

"Ed?" She said softly, laying a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, a small frown on his face. "I'm tired." He said in a half moan. Kneeling down Lux picked up the T-shirt and started to put it on his while saying gently "You can sleep after eating dinner, how does that sound?" Ed gave a small nod in reply. Lux helped him dress while softly humming. After both Ed and Al were dressed she emptied the bath and quickly cleaned up the water Ed had gotten everywhere.

"Hungry?" she asked, gathering up the towels and dirty clothes. Al nodded enthusiastically, Ed gave a small nod.

"Well let's go then." She said walking out the door. Al and Ed followed her closely, Al holding tightly onto Ed's hand. They walked downstairs and into the kitchen, Lux still holding the washing and Al still holding Ed's hand.

"What was that bang?" Winry asked as Pinako took the washing from Lux.

"Ed fell out of the bath, hit his head pretty hard on the sink." Lux explained, lifting the boys into two empty chairs.

"Any injures?" Pinako asked putting the washing in a basket.

"A nasty bruise on his forehead." Lux said, moving Ed's bangs to show them.

"Best to put an icepack on that." Winry said taking on look at the bruise. Pinako nodded as she grabbed an icepack from the fridge and wrapped it in a tea towel before tossing it to Lux who gently put it on Ed's head earning a small hiss of pain from the young blond.

"After we eat I want to check for any signs of a concussion." Pinako said as she dished up dinner. Lux nodded.

"That sounds like a good idea." She said.

"I guess some good does come out from working at an automail shop with a doctor's mother and two doctors' daughter as your boss." Kaleb said, swinging back in his chair. A wrench to the head had him shifting back onto all fours quickly.

"What in the hell Winry?" He exclaimed, rubbing his head where the wrench hit him.

"Don't break the chair, idiot, in actual fact give that chair to Lux." The blonde replied.

"Why? She's been sat down all day, while I've been cleaning the bloody basement." Kaleb protested. Whack. Kaleb fell out of his chair as the wrench reconnected with his head.

"Ok! Fine!" he said, standing up and brushing himself off. Lux chuckled as she sat down in his recently vacated seat.

"Thanks, Kaleb, ya know it wasn't necessary for you to give me your seat." She said with a smirk. "ARGH! I need some male friends!" Kaleb said, leaning against the wall.

"You've got two new male friends right there." Lux said, inclining her head to the two boys who were sat quietly watching. Kaleb looked like he was about to say something back but the wrench being raised in Winry's hand made him decide otherwise. Pinako passed a plate full of food to every one before picking up her own and sitting down.

"Yih nefh un begger tafhler." Kaleb said through a mouthful of food.

"Charming, Kaleb." Lux said while rolling her eyes.

"Swallow before you speak, boy." Pinako said sternly. Kaleb's cheeks turned slightly red as he quickly swallowed.

"I said you need a bigger table." He said.

"What makes you say that?" Pinako asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well you have a four seater table yet you insist we stay for dinner after work at least four times a week which meant that, before we had two little gate crashers, that I was always left standing. Now we have three people left standing, which I know I will always be included in that." Kaleb replied. Lux's brow creased when she noticed Ed didn't go into a rant about being called little.

"Why don't you bring a chair for yourself next time if it's really that much of a problem for you." Winry said. Kaleb let out a huff before going back to eating. The rest of the meal passed in silence, Lux's eyes stayed glued on the two young boys. Al seemed to also be focused on Ed who was mostly just shifting his food around on his plate.

"You ok Ed?" Winry asked, noticing Al and Lux's concerned looks.

"Yeah, just not that hungry." He said. This made Lux frown slightly. After they'd all finished eating, and Kaleb had washed up, Pinako took a look at Ed's head. She asked him various questions and looked into his eyes.

"So?" lux asked, slightly impatiently.

"Looks like a mild concussion, should be gone by tomorrow." Pinako said. Lux nodded, moving to gently lift Ed into her arms.

"I'm tired." Ed complained, resting his head against Lux's shoulder.

"I know, and as soon as we get home you can sleep." Lux said, running her fingers through his hair caringly.

"I suggest keeping a close eye on him while he sleeps." Winry said, "In case it gets worse." Lux nodded.

"Thank you for your help, and the food, Granny Pinako. You too, Winry." She said, shifting Ed in her arms slightly.

"No need to thank us, Lux." Winry said, waving a hand from side to side in front of her face as if to dismiss Lux's words.

"You're part of the family." Pinako said with a smile, "You always have been." Lux smiled warmly.

"Still, I owe you." She said.

"No you don't." replied Winry.

"But-" Lux started but was cut off by Kaleb when he slung an arm around her shoulders.

"Lux, it's getting late, give the thank yous a rest for today, you three have this argument every time." He said. Lux let out a small sigh.

"Fine." She said, elbowing Kaleb in the ribs to get him to remove his arm.

"We should get going." Zahra said looking at the clock. Lux nodded in agreement.

"Before you go, I have your pay checks." Pinako said, holding up three envelopes. Kaleb quickly grabbed his.

"Yes!" he exclaimed happily. Lux rolled her eyes as she took her own.

"Thank you." She said.

"Enough with the thank yous." Kaleb, Zahra and Winry said at the same time causing Al and Ed to laugh. Lux stuck her tongue out at her three friends earning more laughs from the two young boys. "That reminds me!" Lux suddenly exclaimed.

"What does?" Kaleb said raising an eyebrow. Lux ignored him and turned to Winry.

"We're going shopping this week-end to get some things for the boys, Zahra and Kaleb have already agreed to come, and I was wondering if you wanted to come too." she said. Winry's eyes lit up excitedly.

"Of course I would love to come!" She exclaimed happily, practically jumping up and down from sheer happiness. Lux chuckled at her friend's sudden hyperness.

"We'll all meet up here, how does that sound?" she asked. Her friends nodded in agreement.

"Well we should get going before I end up carrying both of them home." Lux said with a smile. She moved forward to give both Winry and Pinako a one armed hug.

"See ya this week-end." She said before turning and walking through the door, Al right beside her. Kaleb nodded as did Zahra.

"Bye." They both said before following Lux out the door. Winry ran to stand in the doorway; she waved as they walked down the hill.

"Bye! See you this week-end!" she shouted to their retreating backs, Pinako stood beside her. Lux, Zahra, Kaleb, Al and Ed all raised a hand over their shoulder to wave goodbye to Winry and Pinako as the Rockbell house got left behind them.


End file.
